Nutritional vitamin A status in northeast Brazilian lactating mothers

• Published in: Journal of human nutrition and dietetics 2010-04, Vol.23 (2), p.154-161
• Main Authors: da Silva Ribeiro, K.D, de Araújo, K.F, de Souza, H.H.B, Soares, F.B, da Costa Pereira, M, Dimenstein, R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; blood serum; Brazil - epidemiology; carotenoids; Carotenoids - administration & dosage; colostrum; Colostrum - chemistry; Diet; Diet Surveys; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; human colostrum; Humans; lactating mothers; lactating women; Lactation - blood; maternal nutrition; Milk, Human - chemistry; Mothers; nutrient intake; Nutritional Status; Reference Values; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; vitamin A; Vitamin A - administration & dosage; Vitamin A - analysis; Vitamin A - blood; Vitamin A Deficiency - blood; Vitamin A Deficiency - epidemiology; vitamin content; vitamin deficiencies; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0952-3871; 1365-277X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-277X.2009.01026.x

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. 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). Serum retinol and total vitamin A ingestion (mean ± SD) were higher in group A than in group B (1.4 ± 0.4 μmol L⁻¹ and 2072.0 ± 1465.9 μg retinol activity equivalent (RAE) day⁻¹ versus 1.2 ± 0.6 μmol L⁻¹ and 1051.6 ± 920.4 μg RAE day⁻¹, respectively (P < 0.05), but colostrum retinol (3.4 ± 1.7 μmol L⁻¹ and 3.6 ± 1.9 μmol 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. 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.