OBJECTIVE: Increased oxidative stress and immune dysfunction are implicated in 
preeclampsia (PE) and may contribute to the two- to fourfold increase in PE 
prevalence among women with type 1 diabetes. Prospective measures of fat-soluble 
vitamins in diabetic pregnancy are therefore of interest.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Maternal serum carotenoids (α- and β-carotene, 
lycopene, and lutein) and vitamins A, D, and E (α- and γ-tocopherols) were 
measured at first (12.2 ± 1.9 weeks [mean ± SD], visit 1), second (21.6 ± 1.5 
weeks, visit 2), and third (31.5 ± 1.7 weeks, visit 3) trimesters of pregnancy 
in 23 women with type 1 diabetes who subsequently developed PE (DM PE+) and 24 
women with type 1 diabetes, matched for age, diabetes duration, HbA(1c), and 
parity, who did not develop PE (DM PE-). Data were analyzed without and with 
adjustment for baseline differences in BMI, HDL cholesterol, and prandial 
status.
RESULTS: In unadjusted analysis, in DM PE+ versus DM PE-, α-carotene and 
β-carotene were 45 and 53% lower, respectively, at visit 3 (P < 0.05), before PE 
onset. In adjusted analyses, the difference in β-carotene at visit 3 remained 
significant. Most participants were vitamin D deficient (<20 ng/mL), and vitamin 
D levels were lower in DM PE+ versus DM PE- throughout the pregnancy, although 
this did not reach statistical significance.
CONCLUSIONS: In pregnant women with type 1 diabetes, low serum α- and β-carotene 
were associated with subsequent development of PE, and vitamin D deficiency may 
also be implicated.