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INTRAUTERINE GROWTH AND THE VITAMIN E STATUS OF FULL-TERM AND PRETERM NEWBORNS

Alyne Batista da Silva1, Jeane Franco Pires Medeiros1, Mayara Santa Rosa Lima1

  • 1Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.

Revista Paulista De Pediatria : Orgao Oficial Da Sociedade De Pediatria De Sao Paulo
|May 16, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Most newborns, both preterm and full-term, have low vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) levels. There was no link between vitamin E status and intrauterine growth in this study.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Nutrition
  • Biochemistry
  • Pediatric Health

Background:

  • Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is a crucial antioxidant for infant health.
  • Assessing vitamin E status in newborns is important for understanding nutritional adequacy.
  • Intrauterine growth is a key indicator of fetal development and health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine alpha-tocopherol concentrations in umbilical cord serum of term and preterm infants.
  • To evaluate the nutritional status concerning vitamin E in both newborn groups.
  • To investigate the correlation between vitamin E levels and intrauterine growth.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study of 140 newborns (64 preterm, 76 full-term).
  • Exclusion of infants with malformations and from mothers who smoke.
  • Alpha-tocopherol levels measured by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography; intrauterine growth assessed using Intergrowth-21st standards.

Main Results:

  • Mean alpha-tocopherol levels were similar between preterm (263.3±129.5 µg/dL) and full-term (247.0±147.6 µg/dL) infants.
  • Higher incidence of small for gestational age (SGA) in preterm (23%) vs. full-term (7%) infants.
  • High prevalence of low vitamin E levels in both groups (95.3% preterm, 92.1% full-term); no correlation with weight-for-gestational-age Z-score.

Conclusions:

  • No association found between umbilical cord serum alpha-tocopherol and intrauterine growth.
  • Intrauterine growth restriction was more prevalent in preterm infants.
  • The majority of newborns studied exhibited low vitamin E levels at birth, indicating a widespread nutritional concern.
Abstract

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