American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 47, 1017-1021, Copyright © 1988 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Zinc supplementation and plasma concentration of vitamin A in preterm infants

VA Hustead, JL Greger and GR Gutcher
Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

To assess the effect of zinc supplementation on plasma retinol levels, 24 preterm infants were randomly assigned to receive 400 micrograms.kg- 1.d-1 of intravenous Zn or no Zn supplementation. Intakes of protein, energy, and vitamin A were similar for both groups as were day 0 plasma concentrations of retinol, retinol-binding protein (RBP), and Zn. Zn concentrations were not significantly different between groups at any time during the 3-wk study; however, retinol values in wk 1 increased more in the supplemented group (delta = 10.0 vs 0.9 micrograms/dL, or 0.35 vs 0.031 mumol/L; p less than 0.005). RBP appeared to increase more in the supplemented group but did not reach statistical significance. We hypothesize that the increase in plasma retinol levels noted in the preterm infants receiving Zn supplementation may be mediated by an increased production of RBP in the liver that in turn enhances the hepatic release of retinol.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. M Rahman, M. A Wahed, G. J Fuchs, A. H Baqui, and J. O Alvarez Synergistic effect of zinc and vitamin A on the biochemical indexes of vitamin A nutrition in children Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, January 1, 2002; 75(1): 92 - 98. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. C Munoz, J. L Rosado, P. Lopez, H. C Furr, and L. H Allen Iron and zinc supplementation improves indicators of vitamin A status of Mexican preschoolers Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, March 1, 2000; 71(3): 789 - 794. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]