Vitamin A Concentration in Umbilical Cord Blood of Infants from Three Separate Regions of the Province of Québec (Canada)

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Public Health
• Main Authors: Dallaire, Frédéric, Dewailly, Eric, Shademani, Ramesh, Laliberté, Claire, Bruneau, Suzanne, Rhainds, Marc, Blanchet, Carole, Lefebvre, Michel, Ayotte, Pierre
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Springer International Publishing 2003
• Subjects: Article; Canada; Lawrence River; Nunavik; inuit
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6979776/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14577751; https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03403568

BACKGROUND: Inuit women from Northern Québec have been shown to consume inadequate quantities of vitamin A. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of blood vitamin A deficiency in newborns from 3 distinct populations of the province of Québec. METHODS: 594 newborns were included in this study (375 Inuit newborns from northern Québec (Nunavik), 107 Caucasian and Native newborns from the Lower Northern Shore of the Saint-Lawrence River (LNS) and 112 newborns from Southern Québec where clinical vitamin A deficiency is uncommon). Mothers were recruited at delivery and vitamin A (retinol) was analyzed from umbilical cord blood samples by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Nunavik and LNS newborns had significantly lower mean vitamin A concentrations in cord blood compared to Southern Québec participants (15.7 μg/dL, 16.8 μg/dL and 20.4 μg/dL respectively). The differences observed were similar when adjusted for sex and birthweight. Results also showed that 8.5% of Nunavik newborns and 12.2% of LNS newborns were below 10.0 μg/dL, a level thought to be indicative of blood vitamin A deficiency in neonates. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that a carefully planned vitamin A supplementation program during pregnancy in Nunavik and LNS might be indicated to promote healthy infant development.