Therefore , vitamin A supplementation alone may reduce the risk of anemia , by improving hemoglobin and ferritin levels in individuals with low serum retinol levels
ABSTRACT Anemia is a worldwide public health problem that can be related to many causes , including vitamin A deficiency .
The aim of this study was to assess and estimate the effect of vitamin A supplementation ( VAS ) on iron status biomarkers and anemia in humans .
Circulating IGF-1 may mediate improvements in haemoglobin associated with vitamin A status during pregnancy in rural Nepalese women.
Pregnancy exacerbates vitamin A ( VA ) deficiency and anaemia among women in developing countries . Improving circulating haemoglobin ( Hb ) requires erythrocyte production and availability of iron . Insulin-like growth factor- 1 ( IGF-1 ) functions in erythropoiesis , but its association with VA status and pregnancy-associated anaemia has not been studied . The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between serum retinol , IGF-1 , and Hb among pregnant women in extant sample s collected during a placebo-controlled trial of VA and beta-carotene ( BC ) supplementation in rural Nepal conducted from 1994 to 1997 . Mid-pregnancy serum IGF-1 was measured in serum from n=589 r and omly selected women of n=1186 in whom anthropometric , VA ( retinol ) and iron ( Hb , erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin ( ZP ) , and ferritin ) status data were available . Associations of IGF-1 with retinol , Hb or anaemia , and iron status were determined using multiple linear and logistic regression . Path analysis was used to explore the role of IGF-1 as a mediator between retinol and Hb , accounting for iron status . A 2.6 g/L increase in IGF-1 was observed per 0.1 mol/L increment in retinol ( p<0.0001 ) . Hb increased with each quartile of IGF-1 , and odds of anaemia declined 68.8 % from the 1st to 4th quartile . Improved iron status indicators explained only 29.1 % of the association between IGF-1 and Hb , while IGF-1 explained 25.6 % of the association between retinol and Hb . Increasing IGF-1 was likely one mechanism by which retinol improved circulating Hb in pregnant women of rural Nepal , although IGF-1 worked primarily through pathways independent of improved iron status indicators , perhaps by stimulating erythrocyte production
Therefore , vitamin A supplementation alone may reduce the risk of anemia , by improving hemoglobin and ferritin levels in individuals with low serum retinol levels
ABSTRACT Anemia is a worldwide public health problem that can be related to many causes , including vitamin A deficiency .
The aim of this study was to assess and estimate the effect of vitamin A supplementation ( VAS ) on iron status biomarkers and anemia in humans .