Green and yellow vegetables can maintain body stores of vitamin A in Chinese children.
BACKGROUND
Vitamin A activity of plant provitamin A carotenoids is uncertain.


OBJECTIVE
The objective was to determine whether plant carotenoids can sustain or improve vitamin A nutrition during the fall season in kindergarten children in the Shandong province of China.


METHODS
The serum vitamin A concentration of 39% of the children was <1.05 micromol/L and of 61% of the children was > or = 1.05 micromol/L. For 5 d/wk for 10 wk, 22 children were provided approximately 238 g green-yellow vegetables/d and 34 g light-colored vegetables/d. Nineteen children maintained their customary dietary intake, which included 56 g green-yellow vegetables/d and 224 g light-colored vegetables/d. Octadeuterated and tetradeuterated vitamin A were given before and after the interventions, respectively, and their enrichments in the plasma were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Serum retinol and carotenoid concentrations were measured by HPLC.


RESULTS
Carotenoid nutrition improved after consumption of green-yellow vegetables. Serum concentrations of retinol were sustained in the group fed green-yellow vegetables but decreased in the group fed light-colored vegetables (P < 0.01). The isotope-dilution tests confirmed that total-body vitamin A stores were sustained in the group fed green-yellow vegetables, but decreased 27 micromol (7700 microg retinol) per child, on average, in the group fed light-colored vegetables (P < 0.06).


CONCLUSIONS
Green-yellow vegetables can provide adequate vitamin A nutrition in the diet of kindergarten children and protect them from becoming vitamin A deficient during seasons when the provitamin A food source is limited.
Tang
G
G
Jean Mayer US Department of Agriculture, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA. GTang@hnrc.tufts.edu
Gu
X
X
Hu
S
S
Xu
Q
Q
Qin
J
J
Dolnikowski
G G
GG
Fjeld
C R
CR
Gao
X
X
Russell
R M
RM
Yin
S
S
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014675:Vegetables; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000517:prevention & control*
D014801:Vitamin A; D002338:Carotenoids