title: Carotenemia in mentally retarded children. I. Incidence and etiology.
abstract: The incidence and etiology of carotenemia in mentally retarded children were examined. Fasting serum carotenoid and vitamin A levels were measured in 77 profoundly mentally retarded children aged 3 to 19 years who were receiving a standard diet containing 2000 IU of carotene (expressed in terms of vitamin A activity) and supplemented by 2000 IU of vitamin A daily. Seventeen of the 77 patients had serum carotenoid levels of more than 300 mug./ml. The particulate size of food had a significant inverse relationship to serum carotenoid levels and was an important factor in determining carotenemia. The serum vitamin A level was also higher in children on homogenized diet than in those on pureed feeds, while the lowest level was noted among patients on a chopped diet. Besides particulate size of food, other factors may also be operative in determining carotenemia.
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000097:blood*; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008074:Lipoproteins; D014801:Vitamin A; D002338:Carotenoids