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Quantitative Analysis of Dietary Vitamin A Metabolites in Murine Ocular and Non-Ocular Tissues Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
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Quantitative Analysis of Dietary Vitamin A Metabolites in Murine Ocular and Non-Ocular Tissues Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

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Relationship between age and serum vitamin A in children aged 4-11 y

C J Lewis1, M A McDowell, C T Sempos

  • 1Food and Drug Administration, HFF-265, Washington, DC 20204.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|August 1, 1990
PubMed

Insights

Younger children (4-5 years) have lower serum vitamin A levels than older children (9-11 years), even after accounting for supplements. This suggests age-related physiological differences impact vitamin A status interpretation.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Biochemistry
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Serum vitamin A is a key indicator of nutritional status in children.
  • Previous research has not fully elucidated the age-specific variations in serum vitamin A concentrations.
  • Understanding these variations is crucial for accurate nutritional assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between age and serum vitamin A concentrations in children.
  • To determine if age-related differences in vitamin A levels persist after controlling for confounding factors.
  • To assess the need for age-specific interpretive criteria for serum vitamin A.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey II (NHANES II) and Hispanic HANES.
  • Analyzed total serum vitamin A and serum retinol values in children aged 4-11 years.
  • Employed multivariate analyses to identify and control for potential confounders, including vitamin-mineral supplement use.

Main Results:

  • Younger children (4-5 years) exhibited significantly lower serum vitamin A concentrations compared to older children (9-11 years).
  • This age-related difference was observed for both total serum vitamin A and serum retinol measures.
  • The association remained consistent across the distribution of vitamin A values, independent of supplement intake.

Conclusions:

  • Age is a significant factor influencing serum vitamin A concentrations in children.
  • The observed differences likely stem from normal physiological variations related to development.
  • Current criteria for interpreting serum vitamin A may require age-specific adjustments for pediatric populations.

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