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Effect of Maternal Pyridoxine·HCl Supplementation on the Vitamin B-6 Status of Mother and Infant and on Pregnancy Outcome^1,2,

The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences ^* Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611

The effect of maternal pyridoxine·HCl (PN-HCl) supplementation on the vitamin B-6 status of pregnant women and their infants at birth and on pregnancy outcome was investigated. Volunteer subjects were randomly assigned a daily vitamin B-6 supplement containing 0, 2.6, 5, 7.5, 10, 15 or 20 mg of PN-HCl in a double-blind study. The mean dietary vitamin B-6 intake of the group was 1.43 ± 1.28 mg/day as estimated from 24-hour dietary recalls. Maternal plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) levels were positively correlated with vitamin B-6 supplementation at 30 weeks gestation (r = 0.55, P < 0.0005) and at delivery (r = 0.54, P < 0.01). Cord plasma PLP levels reached a maximum when maternal PN-HCl supplementation was 7.5 mg and greater. Supplemental PN-HCl at the 7.5-mg level was required to prevent a decrease in maternal plasma PLP at delivery. Apgar scores at 1 minute after birth were higher (P < 0.05) for infants whose mothers took 7.5 mg or more supplemental PN-HCl than for infants of mothers who took 5 mg or less. These findings indicate that a vitamin B-6 intake between 5.5 and 7.6 mg/day (diet plus supplement as pyridoxine equivalents) was required to maintain maternal plasma PLP levels at term at a level comparable to initial values.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin B-6 supplementation • vitamin B-6 status • pyridoxine • pregnancy

¹ Supported in part by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (WIC 10-557) and the Florida Department of Health and Human Services (MIC 04-X-121-000).

² Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. 5094.

³ To whom requests for reprints should be sent.

Manuscript received 21 October 1983.