Vitamin A and D status of black South African women and their babies

Knowledge of the vitamin D status of pregnant and lactating women in developing countries is very limited. An elective visit to the Transkei therefore provided us with the opportunity to study the relationship between the vitamin A and D status of dark-skinned mothers and babies resident in an environment of high sunshine exposure. 25-hydroxyvitamin D, retinol and retinol binding protein (RBP) were measured in serum samples collected from 43 black South African women and their babies, shortly after delivery. The results were compared with values obtained on sera from pregnant white and black women resident in the UK. The values for serum retinol in the Transkei mothers and babies were low. This accords with the poor nutrition and consequent high childhood mortality observed in this population. In contrast, the serum 25-OHD values were normal. This suggests that in these malnourished black South African mothers, normal vitamin D status is maintained by actinic synthesis.