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Supplemental vitamin A enhances the recovery from iron deficiency in rats with chronic vitamin A deficiency

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

AnnetJ.C Roodenburg
Affiliation:
Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands Department of Laboratory Animal Science, State University Utrecht, The Netherlands
Clive E West
Affiliation:
Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands Center for International Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clgton Road N.E., Atlanta GA 30322, USA
Robert Hovenierl
Affiliation:
Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Anton C Beynen
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Animal Science, State University Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Abstract

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Studies with anaemic children and pregnant women from areas where vitamin A deficiency is endemic have shown a beneficial effect on Fe status of supplemental vitamin A in addition to Fe supplementation. This suggests a relationship between vitamin Aand Fe status, which we attempted to mimic in rats with anaemia and chronic vitaminA deficiency. Male rats were fed on Fe-adequate diets (35 mg Fe/kg)containing different levels of vitamin A (1200,450,150,75 and 0 retinol equivalents (RE)/kg feed) until they were 5 weeks old. These diets wereidentical to the diets fed to their mothers. Then the young male rats were transferred to diets containing the same levels of vitamin A but no added Fe. After another 2 weeks the rats wererepleted with Fe (35 mg/kg feed) without or with vitamin A to a level of 1200 RE/kg feed. Increased vitamin A intake by the groups previously fed on diets with either 0 or 75 RE/kg produced a reduction in blood haemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume and erythrocyte count. In the group which had been fed on the diet without vitamin A, supplemental vitamin A raised mean cell volume, plasma Fe concentration and total Fe-binding capacity. Vitamin A supplementation during the period of Fe repletion produceda decrease in splenic and tibia Fe concentration, the effect being greater with increasing seventy of previous vitamin A deficiency. The paradoxical effect of supplemental vitamin A on haemoglobin, packed cell volume and erythrocyte count can be explained by a decrease in the degree of haemwoncentration. Thus, the positive effect of supplemental vitamin A seen in humans is also observed with rats under controlled experimental conditions. We speculate that supplemental vitamin A during Fe repletion contributes to optimum erythropoiesis and Fe mobilization when baseline vitamin A status is impaired

Type
Vitamin A metabolism in rats
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1996

References

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