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Innate immunity, gut integrity, and vitamin A in Gambian and Indian infants

D I Thurnham1, C A Northrop-Clewes, F S McCullough

  • 1Northern Ireland Centre for Diet and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine BT 52 1SA, Northern Ireland. di.thurnham@ulst.ac.uk

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|August 17, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Infant gut integrity worsens with weaning foods, but vitamin A (VA) intake, especially during mango season, may improve it. Supplementation trials showed faster recovery, though normalization was not achieved.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Nutritional Science
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Gut integrity is crucial for infant health and can be assessed using the lactulose:mannitol excretion test.
  • Introduction of weaning foods often leads to a decline in gut integrity.
  • Seasonal variations in gut integrity in The Gambia correlated with vitamin A (VA) intake during mango season.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between vitamin A status and gut integrity in infants.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of vitamin A supplementation in improving infant gut integrity.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study in The Gambia measuring gut integrity monthly in 119 infants (2-15 months).
  • Two intervention studies in India involving vitamin A supplementation (weekly or single high dose) versus placebo in infants.
  • Assessment of gut integrity using the urinary lactulose:mannitol excretion test.

Main Results:

  • Gut integrity was least impaired during the high vitamin A intake period (mango season) in The Gambia.
  • Infants receiving vitamin A supplementation showed more rapid improvement in gut integrity compared to placebo groups.
  • Complete normalization of gut integrity to Western standards was not observed in any group.

Conclusions:

  • Vitamin A status appears to play a role in maintaining and improving infant gut integrity.
  • Vitamin A supplementation can accelerate the recovery of gut integrity but may not fully restore it.
  • Further research is needed to understand the optimal vitamin A levels for infant gut health.

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