Serum retinol in post‐partum mothers and newborns from an impoverished South African community where liver is frequently eaten and vitamin A deficiency is absent

Serum retinol was assessed in mothers and newborns from an impoverished South African community where liver is frequently eaten and vitamin A deficiency known to be absent. Paired cord and maternal blood (n = 201) were collected after delivery and analysed for serum retinol and C-reactive protein (CRP). Liver intake during pregnancy and intention to breastfeed were also assessed. Mean serum retinol was 1.03 μmol/L ± 0.40 in mothers and 0.73 ± 0.24 μmol/L in newborns, with 21.4% and 49.3% having serum retinol <0.70 μmol/L (<20 μg/dL), respectively. Raised CRP was found in 59.9% of mothers, with a significant negative correlation between serum retinol and CRP (r = -0.273; p < 0.0001). Liver was eaten by 87.6% of mothers, and 99% indicated their intention to breastfeed. Despite consumption of liver, serum retinol was low in both the mother and the newborn. The conventional cut-off for serum retinol, i.e. <0.70 μmol/L may therefore not apply for the mother and newborn in the period immediately after delivery. Serum retinol may be influenced by factors other than vitamin A status, e.g. the haemodilution of pregnancy, as well as the acute phase response induced by the birth process, as suggested by raised CRP in 60% of mothers. In the newborns, the low serum retinol is likely to increase rapidly, as liver is frequently eaten by mothers and practically all of them intended to breastfeed. Our results confirm the need for better indicators of vitamin A status or alternative cut-off values during this period

Biology · Cord blood · Pregnancy · Retinol · Vitamin · Vitamin A deficiency · Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress · Medicine · Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies · Retinoids in leukemia and cellular processes · Endocrinology · Internal Medicine · Physiology

• Serum retinol in post‐partum mothers and newborns from an impoverished South African community where liver is frequently eaten and vitamin A deficiency is absent

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• Serum retinol in post‐partum mothers and newborns from an impoverished South African community where liver is frequently eaten and vitamin A deficiency is absent

  Open Access•Martha E van Stuijvenberg, Serina E Schoeman et al.•Maternal and Child Nutrition•2015

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