Possible dietary measures in the prevention of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia.

The recurring theme when considering the various dietary manipulations that have been advocated in the prevention of pre-eclampsia is of dietary deficiencies and excesses that appear to be associated with the disease. However, whether these deficiencies and excesses cause, or arise as a consequence of, pre-eclampsia has frequently not been established. Advocates of dietary theories of the aetiology of the disease have tended to base their claims upon uncontrolled clinical trails and inadequate research investigations. With very few exceptions, the better-designed studies have failed to show any effect of dietary supplementation or restriction on the incidence of pre-eclampsia. While certain manipulations, for example calcium and n-3 fatty acid supplementation seem intriguing and merit further study, potentially harmful effects of other manipulations, namely weight restriction (Campbell Brown, 1983), salt restriction (Robinson, 1958) and magnesium supplementation (Lamm et al, 1988), have been demonstrated. The persistent tendency for the medical profession to provide dogmatic and often conflicting advice, and to advocate rigorous intervention, is thus culpable. Until the appropriate research is performed in a less haphazard fashion, with all interventions performed in the context of controlled trials, no dietary intervention can be advocated.