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Vitamin A status in preschool-age Indonesian children as assessed by the modified relative-dose-response assay
S A Tanumihardjo1, Muhilal, Y Yuniar
1Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Iowa State University, Ames 50011.
Insights
The modified relative-dose-response (MRDR) assay assessed vitamin A status in West Javan children. Results indicated 62% of children had marginal vitamin A levels, highlighting a significant public health concern.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Biochemistry
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Public Health
Background:
- Vitamin A deficiency is a major global health issue, particularly in developing regions.
- The modified relative-dose-response (MRDR) assay is a validated method for assessing vitamin A status.
- West Javan children are considered at risk for vitamin A deficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To apply the MRDR assay to assess vitamin A status in West Javan children.
- To determine the prevalence of marginal vitamin A status in the study population.
Main Methods:
- The MRDR assay was performed on 75 West Javan children aged 0.6-5.3 years.
- A time-course study determined the optimal blood sampling time post-dose (4-8 hours).
- Blood samples were analyzed for the dehydroretinol to retinol (DR-R) ratio 5 hours after a dehydroretinyl acetate dose.
Main Results:
- The dehydroretinol to retinol (DR-R) ratio peaked between 4 and 8 hours post-dose.
- The DR-R ratio in the surveyed children ranged from 0.0028 to 0.169.
- Using a cutoff ratio of 0.03, 62% of the children were classified as having marginal vitamin A status.
Conclusions:
- The MRDR assay is applicable for assessing vitamin A status in at-risk children.
- A high prevalence of marginal vitamin A status was found in the West Javan children studied.
- These findings underscore the need for targeted vitamin A interventions in this population.
Abstract:
The modified relative-dose-response (MRDR) assay has been validated in rats as a function of vitamin A status and tested in a group of American children. In this study the MRDR assay was applied to West Javan children who are at risk of being vitamin A deficient. Of 86 children enrolled, 75 were tested. In a time-course study involving 22 children aged 3.7-5.3 y, blood samples were taken at different times after doses of 0.35 mumol 3,4-didehydroretinyl acetate/kg body wt. Generally, the ratio of dehydroretinol to retinol (DR-R ratio) peaked between 4 and 8 h. Thereafter, in a survey of 53 children aged 0.6-4.8 y, single blood samples were drawn 5 h after the dehydroretinyl acetate dose. The DR-R ratio ranged from 0.0028 to 0.169. With a DR-R ratio of 0.03 as the cutoff value, 62% of the children were judged to be of marginal vitamin A status.