Increase in serum beta-carotene following dark green leafy vegetable supplementation in Mebendazole-treated school children in Bangladesh.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of consumption of dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV) and sweet pumpkin on serum beta-carotene and retinol concentrations in children treated for Ascaris lumbricoides.


METHODS
Experimental study with a randomised design.


METHODS
A total of 110 primary school children aged 8-12 y in northwestern Bangladesh.


METHODS
All children were de-wormed and 2 weeks later randomly assigned to one of three groups to receive for 6 days per week, for 6 weeks, one complete meal containing either: (1) 4.4 mg beta-carotene from DGLV (n=37, after 18 dropouts); (2) 1.5 mg beta-carotene from sweet pumpkin (n=36, 18 dropouts); or (3) vegetables containing virtually no beta-carotene (control) (n = 37, 18 dropouts).


RESULTS
Significant increases (P < 0.001) in mean serum beta-carotene concentrations were seen in all three study groups, with a statistically higher increase (micromol/l) in the DGLV group (0.44; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32, 0.55) compared to the control group (0.20; 95% CI 0.14, 0.26; P = 0.002). The increase in serum retinol (micromol/l) was statistically significant (P=0.04) only in the DGLV group (mean 0.066; 95% CI 0.002, 0.13), but this increase was not different from the increase in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
In children successfully treated for Ascaris lumbricoides, a substantial increase in serum beta-carotene was seen after feeding with a moderately high cumulative dose of DGLV for 6 weeks.
Persson
V
V
Section for International Maternal and Child Health, Uppsala University, Sweden. viveka.persson@kbh.uu.se
Ahmed
F
F
Gebre-Medhin
M
M
Greiner
T
T
D000818:Animals; D000969:Antinematodal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001196:Ascariasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D017164:Ascaris lumbricoides / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001459:Bangladesh; D001682:Biological Availability; D002648:Child; D019662:Cucurbitaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008463:Mebendazole / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
D000969:Antinematodal Agents; D019207:beta Carotene; D014801:Vitamin A; D008463:Mebendazole