Dietary interventions to reduce heavy metal exposure in antepartum and postpartum women: a systematic review.
Su Ji Heo, Nalae Moon, Ju Hee Kim
PMID 39756471WHAT IT FOUND
Calcium and jujube fruit lowered some heavy metals, probiotic yogurt prevented mercury and arsenic from rising, and fish advice and grocery gift cards helped women choose lower-mercury fish, but vitamin D did not lower heavy metals and raised lead.
Evidence is limited by biased trials.
Key findings
01Daily calcium supplements were associated with lower blood lead levels in pregnant and postpartum women.
02Vitamin D supplementation did not lower maternal cadmium, mercury, or manganese and increased maternal lead.
03Fish advice, with or without grocery gift cards, increased low-mercury, high-DHA fish consumption and led women to change diets to reduce mercury exposure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only seven randomized trials were included, and they differed in country, intervention, participant group, and outcome. Six of the seven trials had high risk of bias or some concerns, especially in randomization and selective reporting. Some trials had small sample sizes, so the results may be unstable. The review included only English-language studies, so relevant trials in other languages were missed.
Declared interests
An author was an editorial board member of the journal since January 2024 and was not involved in the review process. Otherwise, no conflicts were declared. Funding came from a grant from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in the Republic of Korea.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these dietary interventions as proven ways to lower heavy metals in pregnant or postpartum women. The review includes only seven trials, most with risk of bias, and vitamin D did not lower heavy metals and raised lead.