A report published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that antioxidant vitamins reduce damage to the placenta caused by smoking. A study of more than 1,500 women found that smoking causes growth retardation and fetal distress in labor prompting calcification of the placenta. Researchers at the University of Tennessee and other centers found that antioxidant vitamin E reduced placental calcification in all women, and that vitamin C and beta-carotene limited placental calcification in African-American women.
Researchers also believe that antioxidant vitamins may aid in decreased damage to the placenta due to pregnancy-induced high blood pressure or exposure to environmental pollutants.
