%0 Journal Article
%T The Effect of a Maternal Double Megadose of Vitamin A Supplement on Serum Levels of Retinol in Children Aged under Six Months
%A Carmina Silva dos Santos
%A Ilma Kruze
%A Taciana Fernandes
%A Luciana Marques Andreto
%A Jos¨¦ Natal Figueiroa
%A Alcides da Silva Diniz
%J Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/876308
%X Objective. To measure concentrations of serum retinol in children after the use of maternal vitamin A double megadose supplements. Design. Randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting. The study was conducted at two maternity hospitals in the city of Recife, in the northeast region of Brazil between August 2007 and June 2009. Subjects and Methods. 276 children/mothers were recruited after birth and the women received a 200,000£¿IU capsule of vitamin A. After ten days they were randomly assigned to two treatment groups. One group received a second 200.000£¿IU capsule, while the other received a placebo. The concentrations of retinol in the serum of the children from each group were measured at 2, 4, and 6£¿months. Results. 173 children completed the study. There was no difference between the two treatment groups ( ). The mean base retinol level was lower than that at four and six months ( ). Conclusions. The maternal double megadose supplement had no additional effect on the serum retinol levels of the children, although concentrations of retinol in the children rose in the first six months of life. This trial is registered with NCT00742937. 1. Introduction Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is considered to be a serious problem in more than seventy countries, and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 2.8 million children of preschool age are clinically affected by the condition [1]. Deficiency may therefore lead to repercussions, such poor night vision, if the deficiency is mild, which may develop into irreversible blindness, as well as stunting the growth of the child and diminishing resistance to infection [2, 3]. It is known that breastfeeding infants aged under six months are considered a group at risk of vitamin A deficiency. This is due to the fact the reserves of vitamin A in the liver of the breastfeeding child are very limited at birth. This occurs for the following reasons: a tendency for levels of serum retinol to be lower in pregnant women and the existence of a selective placental barrier, which blocks the passage of this vitamin to the fetus [4]. Hence, the use of a megadose of vitamin A for children aged between 6 and 59 months in areas at risk of vitamin A deficiency is one of the main short-term interventions for combating this deficiency in the field of public health. The use of vitamin A supplements in this areas helps to reduce mortality in children aged under five years by 30% and can diminish the severity of diarrheal diseases [5, 6]. Breastfeeding thus provides great protection for children aged up to two years, which is
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnme/2013/876308/