The Impact of Maternal Daily Oral High-Dose Vitamin A Supplementation on Vitamin A Concentration in Breast Milk of Mothers of Preterm Infants
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Summary
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.
Description
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…