PLASMA VITAMIN-A (RETINOL) AND RETINOL-BINDING PROTEIN IN NEWBORNS AND THEIR MOTHERS

Plasma vitamin A (retinol) and retinol-binding protein (RBP) were meas ured in 66 women at delivery and in their full-term offsprings at birt h. In newborns the plasma vitamin A and RBP concentrations were 50-60% of the values found in their mothers at delivery (p<0.025). According to the guidelines recommended by the NHANES II Committee, 35% of the newborns had plasma vitamin A concentrations below 1.01 mu mol/L, cons idered to be indicative of inadequate Vitamin A status if encountered in older infants and adults. The mean plasma molar ratio of vitamin A/ RBP was found to be close to 1.0 in both newborns and mothers. This in turn is indicative of normal saturation of RBP with vitamin A. Furthe rmore, all of the neonates were born with normal birthweights. We sugg est that the low plasma values of vitamin A and its carrier protein in the newborns may be a reflection of age rather than of a true deficie ncy of vitamin A. The age-specific plasma levels of these two paramete rs may serve as reference values which could be used to interpret plas ma vitamin A and RBP levels of newborns with clinical conditions.