Vitamin A supplements can aid children's growth

Delayed growth among children suffering from HIV/AIDS, malaria and persistent diarrhoea in developing countries could be improved with vitamin A supplements, a new study has found.

Delayed growth and vitamin A deficiency in infants and young children are major public health problems in developing countries, where infectious diseases like AIDS and malaria are common.

Researchers from Harvard University and Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, said in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics that vitamin A supplements "could constitute a low-cost, effective intervention to decrease the burden of growth retardation in settings where infectious diseases are highly prevalent."

The researchers studied 554 Tanzanian children under age 5 for 12 months, 24 percent of whom suffered from malaria, 9 percent of whom were infected with HIV/AIDS and all of whom were initially hospitalised with pneumonia.

The researchers found two initial doses of vitamin A followed by another two doses four months later led to an average height increase of one inch more than the average for children given a placebo. Height increases were particularly significant among HIV-positive subjects.

Vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin stored in the liver, plays a vital role in the growth and repair of body tissues, and is particularly important in maintaining good eyesight and healthy skin, as well as aiding in bone and teeth formation. Recent research suggests that it may also function as an anti-oxidant.

It can be obtained from food in two different forms: pre-formed vitamin A (called retinol or retinal), found in animal sources, and pro-vitamin A (beta carotene), from plant sources. Top vitamin A-rich foods include liver, sweet potatoes, carrots, mangoes, spinach and milk.

More on this study at www.pediatrics.org