title: Vitamin A supplementation does not improve growth of preschool children: a randomized, double-blind field trial in south India.
abstract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in an ongoing growth monitoring research project in TamilNadu, India, to assess the role of high dose vitamin A supplementation on the growth of mild to moderately malnourished children < 3 y old. The treatment group received 60 mg of vitamin A and the control group received a placebo every 4 mo. Infants 6-11 mo of age received only 30 mg of vitamin A Cases of xerophthalmia and severe malnutrition were excluded. Anthropometric measurements and serum retinol determinations were made at baseline and at the end of 1 y. The two groups were similar at baseline in nutritional status, serum retinol, age-sex composition and other socio-demographic indicators. The mean height increments were 9.20 +/- 3.51 and 9.01 +/- 3.41 cm/y for the vitamin A-treated (n = 310) and placebo (n = 282) groups, respectively, and the mean weight increments were 2.02 +/- 0.83 and 1.99 +/- 0.81 kg/y, respectively. The differences in growth increments between the two groups were not statistically significant. These findings remain unaltered following multivariate analysis and suggest the lack of an effect of vitamin A supplementation on growth in young children where access to health care and immunization are good.
authors.affiliation: Program in International Nutrition, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-6301.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ramakrishnan
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Latham
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abel
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000886:Anthropometry; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006128:Growth / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A