DIETARY VITAMIN-A INTAKE IN CHILDREN WITH AND WITHOUT SHORT STATURE

Background - A possible involvement of vitamin A in regulating physiol ogical nocturnal growth hormone secretion has been recently suggested leading us to evaluate the daily vitamin A supply in prepubertal schoo l children. Population and methods. - A questionnaire including a list of foods containing vitamin A and/or betacarotene was answered with t he aid of the parents. Vitamin A supply war expressed in retinol-Equiv alent and estimated as mean daily intake over a one-year period Follow ing this methodology, a study was conducted in 104 control school chil dren with normal stature and 110 children with short stature. Results. - The total daily vitamin A intake (mean +/- SD: 1.197 mu g +/- 799), retinol (675 mu g +/- 628) and beta carotene (525 mu g +/- 355) was a bove or equal to the recommended intake in more than 75% of the contro l children. In contrast, the total daily vitamin A intake (mean +/- SD : 787 mu g +/- 850, P < 0.0002) retinol (436 mu g +/- 670, P < 0.0004) and beta carotene (353 mu g +/- 466, P < 0.002) was significantly dec reased in those children with short stature, more than 35% of them hav ing daily intake below the recommended one. The dietary vitamin A inta ke was also deficient when expressed as ER/1,000 calories (mean SD = 4 44 +/- 262) in the 46 children with short stature in whom the calorie intake had been evaluated for three days. Conclusions. - This study co nfirms that annual dietary vitamin A intake can easily be measured in school children. Its results suggest that this intake, relatively defi cient in children with short stature, could be correlated with deficie nt secretion of growth-hormone.