Vitamin A Status in Neonatal and Weanling Rats Reared by Mothers Consuming Normal and High Fat Diets with or Without Vitamin A Supplementation

Objectives Although the circulating level of vitamin A (VA) is reported to be significantly lower in obese adults, it is unknown if maternal adiposity would influence the VA status of the offspring. The aim of this study was to investigate the status and distribution of VA in the offspring of rats consuming a normal fat diet (NFD) or a high fat diet (HFD), with or without VA supplementation. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats arrived on their second day of gestation and were randomized to either a NFD (25% fat) or a HFD (50% fat) both with an adequate level of VA at 2.6 mg/kg. Upon the delivery of pups, half of rat mothers from the NFD or HFD cohort were switched to a NFD or a HFD both with supplemented VA at 129 mg/kg (NFD + VA and HFD + VA group), respectively. The other half remained on their diets with adequate VA (NFD and HFD group). At postnatal day 14 (P14) and P25, 4 pups/group were euthanized. At P25, the remaining weanling pups (n = 3/group) were fed diets of their respective mothers until being euthanized at P35. Concentrations of total retinol in serum, liver, visceral white AT (WAT), and brown AT (BAT) were measured by UPLC. Results Through the study, pups in non-supplemented groups showed a normal serum retinol concentration but a marginal liver VA status. At all the time points, serum retinol concentration was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in VA-supplemented groups as compared to non-supplemented ones; no significant difference was noted between the NFD and the HFD group. At P14, serum retinol concentration was significantly lower in the HFD + VA group than in the NFD + VA group. In liver, WAT, and BAT, both the concentration and the mass of total retinol was significantly higher in HFD + VA and NFD + VA group than in their respective control at all the time points, with no significant difference noted between the two control groups. At P25, both the concentration and the mass of total retinol in liver and in WAT was significantly higher in HFD + VA than in NFD + VA group. Conclusions Maternal VA supplementation added to both NFD and HFD raised VA status of the offspring. A lower VA concentration in serum but higher concentration in liver and WAT was observed in the HFD + VA group as compared to the NFD + VA group at given time points, indicating that maternal HFD consumption potentially compromised the availability of functional VA in circulation by increasing its deposition in storage organs. Funding Sources NIH.

Combined consumption of a single high-dose vitamin A supplement with provision of vitamin A fortified oil to households maintains adequate milk retinol concentrations for 6 months in lactating Moroccan women

In Morocco, postpartum women systematically receive a single, high dose of vitamin A (VA; 200 000 IU) within the first month of giving birth and vegetable oil is fortified to increase the VA intake. The efficacy of this combined approach of supplementation and fortification for increasing maternal VA status during lactation is not known. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of postpartum high dose VA supplementation and provision of VA fortified oil for household consumption on plasma and milk retinol concentrations of lactating Moroccan women during the first 6 months after giving birth. Postpartum women aged 19–40 years received a VA supplement and thereafter were randomly assigned to one of two groups to receive weekly vitamin A fortified oil (FO) or non-fortified oil (NFO) for 6 months. Serum retinol concentration was higher in the FO group than in the NFO group at 6 months after giving birth (p < 0.0001). Milk retinol per gram fat at baseline did not differ by group; by 3 months after giving birth, milk retinol per gram fat was higher in the FO group than in the NFO group (p = 0.02) and remained higher throughout the 6 months (p < 0.0001). The combination of supplementation and fortification has a more sustained impact on milk retinol concentrations than supplementation alone, which did not have a sustained impact on milk VA concentrations. The fortification approach seems to be more effective for maintaining adequate milk VA concentrations among lactating Moroccan women. Fortification seems to be a long-term solution for the problem of VA deficiency, especially among women in low-income communities.

Serum Retinol but Not 25(OH)D Status Is Associated With Serum Hepcidin Levels in Older Mexican Adults

1) Background: Elevated hepcidin levels have been linked to anemia of inflammation (AI). Retinol deficiency has shown to upregulate hepcidin expression in animals, while conflicting evidence links VD status with hepcidin concentration in humans. The purpose of the study is to explore if VA and VD status are associated with hepcidin concentrations in older Mexican adults (OA). 2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in summer 2015, using serum samples from 783 fasting OA ages 60 and above residents from Campeche and Yucatán. VA deficiency (VAD) was defined as serum retinol concentration <20 μg/dL and VD deficiency (VDD) as 25(OH)D <50 nmol/L. The log-hepcidin was the outcome variable expressed as continuous and tertiles of its distribution. Linear and ordinal regression models were used. 3) Results: VAD was present in 3.4% and VDD in 9.5% of OA. Log-retinol was inversely associated with log-hepcidin (coeff.: −0.15, 95%CI: −0.2, −0.09). VAD status shown a higher probability than non-VAD for higher hepcidin tertiles (OR = 2.15, 95%CI: 1.24, 3.74). VDD states was not associated with hepcidin in the linear (coeff.: 0.16, 95%CI: −0.02, 0.34) nor the ordinal model (OR = 0.74, 95%CI: 0.42, 1.28). 4) Conclusions: VAD, but not VDD, status was inversely associated with hepcidin concentrations in OA.

Albendazole increases serum retinol concentration in primary schoolchildren with low serum retinol

Background<br />Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection is still a health problem in Indonesia. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is often found together with STH. The effect of the deworming program on the vitamin A status of primary school children is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of albendazole on serum retinol concentrations in primary school children.<br /><br />Methods<br />An experimental study of pre-post test design without control was carried out on 118 children from grades 3-5 at one primary school in North Jakarta, from July to September 2014. Flotac examination was used to determine STH infections and high performance liquid chromatography was performed to measure serum retinol concentration. Stool and blood samples were taken twice: before and three weeks after treatment with albendazole 400 mg single dose for three consecutive days given to all children either infected or uninfected. Paired t-test was used to analyze the data. <br /><br />Results<br />Of the 118 children, the prevalence of STH was 71.2%. The prevalence of low retinol serum (&lt;1.05 mmol/L) was 17 (17.2%) and of mild VAD was 2 (2.0%). Albendazole given in 3 consecutive days could not increase serum retinol concentrations (p=0.055). Serum retinol concentration significantly increased after albendazole treatment in children with low retinol serum at baseline (p=0.001). <br /><br />Conclusions<br />In children with low serum retinol concentration, treatment with albendazole increased retinol concentration. Integrated deworming and vitamin A supplementation strategies should be evaluated in this population.

Vitamin A status and associated factors in infants attending at Primary Health Care in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of vitamin A and associated factors in children assisted in Primary Care Health in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study with a sample of 228 children 12 to 16 months of age. The nutritional status of vitamin A was assessed by serum retinol concentration, determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Multiple linear regression models with hierarchical selection of independent variables were used to evaluate the correlation with serum retinol as the dependent variable. RESULTS: The vitamin A deficiency (retinol < 0,7 μmol/L) was observed in 14,0% of the children. Maternal schooling and hemoglobin concentration were positively correlated with serum retinol concentration, while C-reactive protein showed a negative correlation (R2 = 0,1648). CONCLUSION: The vitamin A deficiency in one-year-old children attended in Basic Health Units in Goiânia configures itself as a moderate public health problem. Actions to promote maternal education, morbidity control and prevention of other micronutrient deficiencies are important for prevention and control of the vitamin A deficiency in this population.