title: Upper limit of vitamin E in infant formulas.
abstract: Reports of toxicity to enterally administered vitamin E are rare in infants. However, increased risks of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis have been reported after both enteral and parenteral vitamin E, primarily when plasma (or serum) vitamin E levels exceed 3.5 mg/dl. Levels this high are seldom seen with enteral vitamin E when intake is 25 mg d-alpha-tocopherol equivalent/(kg.d) or less. Intakes below this threshold will be provided by infant formulas with vitamin E to energy ratios of up to 20 mg/100 kcal (30 IU/100 kcal) so long as energy intake does not exceed 125 kcal/(kg.d). To allow a margin of safety, it would be reasonable to limit the amount of vitamin E added to the formula during its manufacture to half this amount, or 10 mg/100 kcal (15 IU/100 kcal). This level coincides with the highest levels of vitamin E found in human colostrum and is 20 times the recommended lower limit for vitamin E in infant formula of 0.5 mg/100 kcal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242.
authors.forename: E F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005526:Food, Formulated / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food / Q000592:standards*; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000592:standards* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E