TY - JOUR
TI - Maternal-neonatal retinol and alpha-tocopherol serum concentrations in
Greeks and Albanians
AU - Schulpis, KH
AU - Michalakakou, K
AU - Gavrili, S
AU - Karikas, GA and
AU - Lazaropoulos, C
AU - Vlachos, G
AU - Bakoula, C
AU - Papassotiriou, I
JO - ACTA PAEDIATRICA SCANDINAVICA
PY - 2004
VL - 93
TODO - 8
SP - 1075-1080
PB - Wiley
SN - null
TODO - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2004.tb02775.x
TODO - retinoids; alpha-tocopherol; Greeks; Albanians; newborns
TODO - Background: Vitamin A and E are required in physiological processes such
as pregnancy and growth. Aim: To evaluate retinol and alpha-tocopherol
serum levels in Greek and Albanian mothers and in their newborns.
Methods: Data concerned 1125 Greek and 898 Albanian mothers along with
their newborns. Immediately after delivery, blood from the umbilical
cord and from the mothers was collected into light-protected tubes.
Retinol and alpha-tocopherol serum levels were measured with a
reversed-phase HPLC method. A 60-d dietetic diary was kept by each woman
during the last 2 mo of pregnancy. Results: Retinol (1.3 +/- 0.1
mumol/l) and alpha-tocopherol (32.9 +/- 9.5 mumol/l) levels were
estimated to be normal in Greek mothers and in most of their offspring
(0.9 +/- 0.1 and 18.5 +/- 3.4 mumol/l, respectively). In contrast, in
Albanian mothers, retinol concentration was found to be low (0.6 +/- 0.1
mumol/l), and in 1/3 significantly low (<0.45 mu mol/l). Consequently,
the vitamin was evaluated to be very low in their newborns (0.4 +/- 0.1
mu mol/l), and in 1/2 extremely low. However, in 12% of the Albanian
cord blood samples, retinol level was determined to be higher as
compared with that of their mothers. alpha-Tocopherol was evaluated to
be normal in most of the immigrant mothers (20.0 +/- 8.8 mu mol/l) and
low (<7.5 mumol/l) in 15% of their newborns. Vitamin A intake was found
to be extremely low and vitamin E low (p < 0.05) in the Albanians.
Conclusions: (a) The decreased vitamin A and vitamin E intake, and their
low blood status in the Albanian mothers and in their newborns, could be
due to their low socio-economic and nutritional status. (b) Immigrant
Albanians, during their pregnancy, and their newborns should be
“followed up”, being at risk of developing symptoms from the very
low levels of these lipid-soluble vitamins.
ER -