Nutritional vitamin A status in northeast Brazilian lactating mothers.
BACKGROUND
Vitamin A deficiency is the major cause of morbidity and mortality among children and in women of reproductive age in developing countries. The present study aimed to assess maternal nutritional vitamin A status, as well as analyse the association of preformed vitamin A and pro-vitamin A consumption on the nutritional status of nursing mothers, based on serum retinol and retinol colostrum concentrations coupled with dietary intake.


METHODS
Serum and colostrums were collected from 86 healthy parturients, recruited within 16 h postpartum. Blood samples were obtained, the morning after an overnight fast. Retinol was analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Dietary vitamin A was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and the women were separated into two groups according to the predominant dietary source of vitamin A: group A, > 50% preformed vitamin A (n = 37); and group B > 50% pro-vitamin A carotenoids, (n = 49).


RESULTS
Serum retinol and total vitamin A ingestion (mean +/- SD) were higher in group A than in group B (1.4 +/- 0.4 micromol L(-1) and 2072.0 +/- 1465.9 microg retinol activity equivalent (RAE) day(-1) versus 1.2 +/- 0.6 micromol L(-1) and 1051.6 +/- 920.4 microg RAE day(-1), respectively (P < 0.05), but colostrum retinol (3.4 +/- 1.7 micromol L(-1) and 3.6 +/- 1.9 micromol L(-1)) was similar in both groups. In group B, 36.7% (n = 18) of the nursing mothers presented a risk of developing vitamin A deficiency, based on their dietary intake.


CONCLUSIONS
On the basis of the intake of the pro-vitamin A carotenoids, some women may be at risk of vitamin A deficiency. However, their status is currently normal, as indicated by serum and milk retinol concentrations.
da Silva Ribeiro
K D
KD
Department of Biochemistry, Center for Biosciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal (RN), Brazil.
de Araújo
K F
KF
de Souza
H H B
HH
Soares
F B
FB
da Costa Pereira
M
M
Dimenstein
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003126:Colostrum / Q000737:chemistry*; D004032:Diet; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation / Q000097:blood; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D009035:Mothers; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
D014801:Vitamin A; D002338:Carotenoids