Retinol Equivalence of Plant Carotenoids in Children
Condition: Vitamin A Deficiency
MeSH terms: Night Blindness; Vitamin A Deficiency
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      To determine vitamin A value of beta-carotene in oil capsule, spinach, and golden rice.

      The experiments will be conducted in children (ages 7-9) with/without adequate vitamin A
      nutrition. As plant provitamin A carotenoids are a major and safe vitamin A source for a vast
      population in the world, it is essential to determine the efficiency of provitamin A
      carotenoid (mainly ß-C) conversion to vitamin A. By introducing ß-C into rice endosperm,
      Golden Rice may directly benefit consumers by providing vitamin A nutrition. Our
      investigation uses hydroponically grown, deca-deuterium labeled spinach and Golden Rice,
      synthetic ß-C-d10 and a vitamin A isotope reference, deca-deuterated retinyl acetate
      (RAc-d10), to evaluate the bioavailability and the bioconversion of plant provitamin A
      carotenes to retinol as compared with ß-C in oil capsules in vivo.

      Our objectives will be to test the following hypotheses and to make the following
      determinations: (1) The absorption and bio-conversion of provitamin A carotenes taken by
      children are different between spinach, Golden Rice, and ß-C in oil capsules. (2) The
      absorption of provitamin A carotenes and their bioconversion to vitamin A are different in
      children with or without adequate vitamin A nutrition. (3) To define the vitamin A
      equivalence(s) of dietary spinach, Golden Rice, and a ß-C in oil dose by using an isotope
      reference method in children with or without adequate vitamin A nutrition and to compare
      those values with values derived from model based compartmental analysis. (4) To determine
      the number and time of blood samples needed for future studies in various field settings on
      the retinol equivalence of a large number of plant sources.

      This study will be of importance in planning vitamin A deficiency prevention strategies and
      also will provide useful information regarding the potential efficacy of a bioengineered crop
      to provide vitamin A nutrition.
    

Detailed description: 
      Seventy-two children each will take two meals, lunch and supper, containing equal amounts of
      ß-C in labeled spinach (along with white rice), or Golden Rice (along with light colored
      vegetables), or ß-C oil capsules (along with white rice and light colored vegetables), every
      day for 7 days. Before the two meals, the volunteers will take a breakfast with a RAc-d10
      dose as a reference for 7 days. The enrichment of labeled ß-C and labeled retinol in human
      circulation will be determined using advanced liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry and
      gas chromatography / mass spectrometry. Through the applications of these novel technologies,
      we will be able to determine the relative biological activities of endogenous carotenoids;
      that is, the vitamin A value of spinach, Golden Rice, and ß-C in oil capsules for children
      with/without vitamin A malnutrition.
    

Observational model: Case-Only
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        healthy children with normal or marginal vitamin A nutrition
      
Keywords: Vitamin A malnutrition; low vitamin A status