Maternal supplementation with a megadose of vitamin A reduces colostrum level of α‐tocopherol: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Maternal supplementation with high doses of vitamin A increased the colostrum level of this nutrient but reduced the bioavailability of α-tocopherol, which may harm the newborn's health because newborns have limited vitamin E reserves.

Maternal Supplementation with <em>RRR</em>-&alpha;-Tocopherol (400 IU) and Its Relationship with Serum and Breast Milk Retinol

“…Because of its unique composition, colostrum is rich in vitamin A, but over time the composition of breast milk changes and its level of vitamin A decreases rapidly [37]. The present study found a significant decrease in breast milk retinol in both groups, confirming other literature reports [22,25,41].…”

“…The two study groups consisted of adult women who were normal weight at conception and birthed normal birth weight infants, confirming other studies in similar populations [4,25].…”

“…The baseline serum retinol levels of the study control and supplemented groups are similar to those reported by Fernandes et al [30]; Lima et al [10] and Grilo et al [25], who studied women from the Brazilian northeast region. However, the baseline serum retinol levels of the study control and supplemented groups were higher than those found in India [31], Africa, [32,33], and Ethiopia [34] as these countries have high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency, and in Germany [35], probably because of the very different sample size.…”

“…The baseline colostrum retinol levels in the study control and supplemented groups were higher than those reported in Cuba [22], where women have very bad health, and in Brazil [25] possibly because of different sample sizes. The study retinol level was lower than that reported in Germany [37], where people have better access to food and counseling during pregnancy and puerperium.…”

“…Study [25] have assessed the action of vitamin A on vitamin E, and the present study investigated for the first time whether maternal supplementation of vitamin E after delivery increases retinol, which it does as colostrum retinol 24 hours after vitamin E supplementation increased and remained high until the seventh day after supplementation.…”