Status of Carotenoids, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E in the Mother-Infant Dyad and Anthropometric Status of Infants in Malawi

This prospective study was carried out during February 2000-April 2003 to characterize the relationship between the status of carotenoids, vitamin E, and retinol and anthropometric status in apparently healthy infants and their mothers in Blantyre, Malawi. Anthropometric status of infants and concentrations of carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene), retinol, and α-tocopherol in plasma were measured in 173 infants at 12 months of age, and concentrations of carotenoids, retinol, and α-tocopherol in plasma were measured in their mothers two weeks postpartum. In multivariate analyses, concentrations of retinol, total carotenoids, non-provitamin A carotenoids, and α-tocopherol in infants were associated with under-weight (p=0.05). Concentrations of α-tocopherol were associated with wasting (p= 0.04). Concentrations in mothers and infants were all correlated (correlation coefficients from0.230to0.502,p<0.003). The findings suggest that poor status of carotenoids, retinol, and α-tocopherol in infants is associated with their poor anthropometric status, and status of carotenoids, retinol, and α-tocopherol in mothers and infants has a low-to-moderate association in the mother-infant dyad.

Keywords
Carotenoids; Vitamin A; Vitamin E; Lutein; Retinoids; Anthropometry; Nutritional status; Infant nutritional status; Infant growth; Prospective studies; Longitudinal studies; Malawi