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Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes
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Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes

Published on: June 28, 2024

Fat-soluble vitamins in breast-fed preterm and term infants

C Henriksen1, I B Helland, A Rønnestad

  • 1Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|February 3, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants show altered fat-soluble vitamin levels, specifically lower retinol and higher vitamin D, compared to normal birth weight (NBW) infants. Further research is needed to optimize vitamin supplementation for VLBW infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatology
  • Nutritional Biochemistry
  • Pediatric Research

Background:

  • Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are at risk for nutritional deficiencies.
  • Fat-soluble vitamin status is critical for the growth and development of preterm infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the levels of fat-soluble vitamins (retinol, 25-OH-vitamin D, alpha-tocopherol, and vitamin K1) in VLBW infants versus normal birth weight (NBW) infants.
  • To assess changes in these vitamin levels during the early neonatal period in VLBW infants.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study involving 40 VLBW infants and 33 NBW infants (reference group).
  • Plasma samples were collected at 1 week and hospital discharge.
  • High-performance liquid chromatography was used to analyze retinol, 25-OH-vitamin D, alpha-tocopherol, and phylloquinone (vitamin K1).

Main Results:

  • VLBW infants exhibited lower plasma retinol and higher plasma 25-OH-vitamin D at discharge compared to NBW infants.
  • Plasma phylloquinone (vitamin K1) was initially very high in VLBW infants but decreased significantly by discharge.
  • Plasma retinol levels decreased, while 25-OH-vitamin D levels increased in VLBW infants during the study.

Conclusions:

  • Significant alterations in retinol and 25-OH-vitamin D concentrations were observed in VLBW infants.
  • These findings highlight distinct differences in fat-soluble vitamin status between VLBW and NBW infants at hospital discharge.
  • Further investigation into vitamin supplementation strategies is warranted to improve clinical outcomes for VLBW infants.
Abstract

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