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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Davis, California » Western Human Nutrition Research Center » Immunity and Disease Prevention Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #280593
Title: Daily provitamin A-rich foods increase vitamin A and carotenoid concentrations in plasma of vitamin A deficient Bangladeshi women [abstract]

Author
item Turner, Tami
item Burri, Betty
item HASKELL, MARJORIE - University Of California
item JAMIL, KAZI - International Centre For Diarrhoeal Disease Research
item JAMIL, MALEKA - International Centre For Diarrhoeal Disease Research

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2012
Publication Date: 5/4/2012
Citation: Turner, T., Burri, B.J., Haskell, M.J., Jamil, K.M., Jamil, M. 2012. Daily provitamin A-rich foods increase vitamin A and carotenoid concentrations in plasma of vitamin A deficient Bangladeshi women [abstract]. Meeting Abstract. UC Davis Graduate Group in Nutritional Biology Symposium. Abstract No. 11.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Vitamin A (VA) deficiency continues to be a major public health concern in many countries, and provitamin A carotenoids are the major source of VA in the diets of people from these areas. Our clinical trial assessed the effects of consuming foods rich in ß-carotene (BC) and ß-cryptoxanthin (CX) on vision and on plasma and milk concentrations of carotenoids and VA in VA deficient, lactating women. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) (12 mg BC/d), tangerines (5.3 mg CX/d), low-dose vitamin A supplements (0.5 mg RAE/d) or white-fleshed sweet potatoes (0 mg RAE) twice a day, six days a week, for three weeks. There was a small improvement within, but not between, groups in the modified dark adaptation test for vision. Plasma carotenoid concentrations significantly increased in the respective treatment groups consuming BC (p<0.005) and CX (p<0.001). The relative absorption of CX, taking into account the dose consumed, was three times higher than BC. Increases in VA occurred in all groups but after controlling for initial VA and CRP values, only the VA capsule group was significantly higher compared to the control (p<0.001). Since plasma retinol is tightly regulated, we expect breast milk to provide a better indicator of the conversion of carotenoids to VA and changes in VA status in humans.