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[Serum vitamin E in well-nourished and malnourished infants]
R Bayés García1, J Maldonado Lozano, E Narbona López
1Departamento de Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada.
Insights
Plasma vitamin E levels in infants did not significantly differ between well-nourished and undernourished groups. However, vitamin E concentrations correlated with triceps skinfold thickness, suggesting it may not reflect tissue stores in undernourished infants.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition Science
Context:
- Assessing nutritional status in infants is crucial for healthy development.
- Vitamin E (tocopherol) plays a vital role in infant health.
- Accurate assessment of vitamin E status is essential for identifying potential deficiencies.
Purpose:
- To determine vitamin E (tocopherol) concentrations in the blood plasma of infants.
- To correlate plasma vitamin E levels with the nutritional status of infants.
- To evaluate the relationship between vitamin E levels and anthropometric measurements like skinfold thickness.
Summary:
- Blood plasma vitamin E (tocopherol) levels were measured in 48 infants, divided into well-nourished (n=12) and undernourished (n=36) groups.
- While plasma tocopherol levels showed a non-significant trend towards higher levels in undernourished infants (1.84 mg/dl) compared to well-nourished (1.21 mg/dl), a significant correlation (p<0.02) was found between vitamin E and triceps skinfold thickness.
- The study suggests that serum vitamin E may not accurately reflect tissue vitamin E stores in undernourished infants, especially in the absence of malabsorption.
Impact:
- Highlights the potential limitations of using plasma vitamin E as a sole indicator of nutritional status in undernourished infants.
- Provides insights into the complex relationship between vitamin E, nutritional status, and body composition in infants.
- Informs clinical practice regarding the assessment of vitamin E status in vulnerable infant populations.
Abstract:
Vitamin E (tocopherol) concentrations in blood plasma were determined in 48 infants and correlated with their nutritional status. Infants were divided into two groups as following: group I (n : 12) estimated well-nourished, and group II (n : 36) appreciated undernourished. Clinical nutritional status was evaluated according to their weight, height and skinfold thickness of triceps percentiles. Plasma vitamin E levels were analysed by a modification of the spectrophotometric micro-technique of Fabiank et al. (using 0.2 ml of plasma). There was difference in serum tocopherol levels between two groups: 1.21 (0.21) mg/dl: mean (+/- SEM) in group I in front of 1.84 (0.18) mg/dl in group II (0.10 greater than p greater than 0.05). On the other hand, vitamin E concentrations were correlated with the skinfold thickness of triceps percentiles by a logarithm curve: y = 2.25-0.31 1n X (r: 0.35, p less than 0.02). Probably, serum vitamin E levels do not reflect the tissue store status in undernourished infants without malabsorption.