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Low vitamin B6 status associated with slow growth in healthy breast-fed infants
K Heiskanen1, M A Siimes, L Salmenperä
1Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Insights
Low vitamin B6 status in infants is linked to slower growth. This study found that improved vitamin B6 levels can lead to reversible reductions in infant length gain.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Nutritional Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Vitamin B6 is crucial for infant development.
- Assessing vitamin B6 status in infants is important for monitoring growth.
- Erythrocyte parameters like EPLP, EAST0, and alpha EAST reflect long-term vitamin B6 status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of vitamin B6 status on infant growth.
- To determine if low vitamin B6 levels affect anthropometric measurements.
- To analyze the relationship between erythrocyte vitamin B6 markers and infant growth velocity.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 44 exclusively breast-fed infants.
- Anthropometric measurements and erythrocyte vitamin B6 status markers (EPLP, EAST0, alpha EAST) were assessed.
- Infants with low vitamin B6 status were compared to those with adequate status.
Main Results:
- Seven infants exhibited low vitamin B6 status between 4-6 months.
- These infants showed significantly slower length velocity and a greater decrease in length-for-age from 6-9 months.
- Vitamin B6 status was a significant predictor of length velocity and changes in length-for-age, independent of other factors.
Conclusions:
- Low vitamin B6 status is associated with reversibly reduced length gain in healthy breast-fed infants.
- Adequate vitamin B6 status is essential for optimal infant growth.
- Monitoring vitamin B6 levels can help identify infants at risk for growth impairment.
Abstract:
To evaluate the effect of vitamin B6 status on infant growth, we studied longitudinally anthropometry and the erythrocyte parameters that reflect long-term vitamin B6 status [erythrocyte pyridoxal 5'-phosphate concentration (EPLP), erythrocyte aspartate transaminase basal activity (EAST0), and its activation co-efficient (alpha EAST)] in 44 infants. The infants were exclusively breast-fed for 6 mo, given additional solids according a uniform schedule from 6-9 mo, and formula after 9 mo, if needed. In seven of these infants, a low vitamin B6 status (EPLP < 10th, and EAST0 > 10th or alpha EAST > 90th percentile for these values in reference infants) was observed between 4 and 6 mo of age. These seven infants showed slower length velocity (0.30 +/- 0.05 versus 0.40 +/- 0.02 mm/d, p < or = 0.02) and deeper fall in length-for-age (-0.69 +/- 0.20 versus -0.25 +/- 0.07 SD score, p < or = 0.03) from 6 to 9 mo of age than the similarly fed infants with higher vitamin B6 status. Preceding vitamin B6 status remained a significant explanatory factor for length velocity and change in length-for-age in addition to preceding and concomitant weight velocity, when sex, birth size, preceding length gain, and mid-parent height were taken into account. Change in weight-for-age alone explained 16% and 18% and, together with vitamin B6 status, 23 and 27% of the variation in length velocity and in change in length-for-age, respectively. Thus, in healthy breast-fed infants, according to our results, low vitamin B6 status is associated with reversibly reduced gain in length.