Open AccessEffects of Vitamin A Supplementation on Intestinal Barrier Function, Growth, Total Parasitic, and Specific Giardia spp Infections in Brazilian Children: A Prospective Randomized, Double‐blind, Placebo‐controlled Trial
Author(s) -
Lima Aldo AM,
Soares Alberto M,
Lima Noélia L,
Mota Rosa MS,
Maciel Bruna LL,
Kvalsund Michelle P,
Barrett Leah J,
Fitzgerald Relana P,
Blaner William S,
Guerrant Richard L
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.206
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1536-4801
pISSN - 0277-2116
DOI - 10.1097/mpg.0b013e3181a96489
Subject(s) - medicine , lactulose , placebo , gastroenterology , vitamin , giardia , lactoferrin , retinol , randomized controlled trial , immunology , biology , pathology , veterinary medicine , alternative medicine , genetics
Background: This study evaluates the effects of retinol on intestinal barrier function, growth, total parasites, and Giardia spp infections in children in northeastern Brazil. Subjects and Methods: The study was a double‐blind, randomized placebo‐controlled trial ( http://clinicaltrials.gov ; register no. #NCT00133406) involving 79 children who received vitamin A 100,000–200,000 IU (n = 39) or placebo (n = 40) at enrollment, 4, and 8 months and were followed for 36 months. Intestinal barrier function was evaluated using the lactulose:mannitol ratio test. Stool lactoferrin was used as a marker for intestinal inflammation. Results: The groups were similar with regard to age, sex, nutritional parameters ( z scores), serum retinol concentrations, proportion of lactoferrin‐positive stool samples, and intestinal barrier function. The lactulose:mannitol ratio did not change during the same time of follow‐up ( P > 0.05). The proportion of lactoferrin‐positive samples evaluated at 1 month did not change between groups ( P > 0.05). Total intestinal parasitic, specifically new, infections were significantly lower in the vitamin A treatment compared with control group; these were accounted for entirely by significantly fewer new Giardia infections in the vitamin A treatment group. The cumulative z scores for weight‐for‐length or height, length or height‐for‐age z scores, and weight‐for‐age did not change significantly with vitamin A intervention for 36 months of follow‐up. Conclusions: These data showed that total parasitic infection and Giardia spp infections were significantly lower in the vitamin A treatment group when compared with the placebo group, suggesting that vitamin A improves the host's defenses against Giardia infections.