FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMINS IN CORD-BLOOD AND COLOSTRUM IN THE SOUTH OF CHINA

Certain diseases have been associated with micronutrient deficiencies in China, and nutritional assessments have become important means of p reventing such diseases. In the present study, fat-soluble vitamins in cluding vitamins, A, D, E, K, and beta-carotene in the cord blood and colostrum of Chinese subjects in Guilin, China, were assayed and compa red with those of Japanese subjects in Osaka, Japan. These vitamins we re analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Vitamin A and E levels in the cord blood and colostrum of the Chinese group showed al most the same values as those of the Japanese group. There was also no significant difference in vitamin D level in cord blood between the t wo groups, while significantly lower levels of beta-carotene and crypt oxanthin, and a higher level of PIVKA-II (protein induced in vitamin K absence) in cord blood were observed in the Chinese group. These find ings pointed to a restricted intake of green-yellow vegetables in the Chinese group and an increased risk of hemorrhagic disease in newborn of that group is suggested.