University of Mississippi Medical Center
Preterm infants are at increased risk of vitamin A deficiency because they are born with low vitamin A stores and depend largely on breast milk to meet their nutritional needs. This study will evaluate whether daily maternal vitamin A supplementation increases vitamin A concentrations in the breast milk of mothers who deliver infants before 29 weeks of gestation. Participants will receive a commercially available oral multivitamin supplement containing 1,300 mcg retinol activity equivalents (RAE) of vitamin A daily for four months after delivery. Breast milk samples will be collected at 2 weeks, 2 months, and 4 months postpartum to measure vitamin A concentrations. The study will assess whether maternal supplementation is a feasible approach for increasing breast milk vitamin A concentrations in mothers of preterm infants.
Vitamin A (VA) is an essential micronutrient involved in normal vision, immune function, epithelial integrity, growth, and lung development. Adequate vitamin A status is particularly important during early infancy, a period characterized by rapid growth and organ development. Preterm infants are at increased risk of vitamin A deficiency because they are born before substantial fetal accumulation of vitamin A stores occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy. As a result, many preterm infants begin life with limited vitamin A reserves and depend largely on external sources of nutrition to m…
Inclusion Criteria: * Mothers aged 18 to 45 years Delivered an infant born at less than 29 weeks' gestation Intending to provide breast milk for at least 4 months postpartum Willing and able to swallow oral tablets Willing to comply with study procedures, including blood draws and breast milk collection at scheduled time points Able to provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Age less than 18 or greater than 45 years Contraindications to breastfeeding or inability to provide breast milk Known liver disease or conditions affecting vitamin A metabolism (e.g., chronic liver disea…
A commercially available oral multivitamin supplement containing 1,300 mcg retinol activity equivalents (RAE) (4,400 IU) of vitamin A will be administered once daily for 4 months to lactating mothers of preterm infants born at less than 29 weeks of gestation. The daily vitamin A dose is consistent with the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for lactating women and is below the tolerable upper intake level (UL). The intervention is intended to evaluate the effect of standardized maternal vitamin A supplementation on breast milk vitamin A (retinol) concentrations.
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