Effect of dietary fat supplementation during late pregnancy and first six months of lactation on maternal and infant vitamin A status in rural Bangladesh

Dietary fat intake is extremely low in most communities with vitamin a deficiency. however,its role in vitamin a status of pregnant and lactating women is poorly understood. the aim of the study was to examine the effect of supplementing women with fat from mid-/late pregnancy until six months postpartum on their vitamin a status and that of their infants. women recruited at 5-7 months of gestation were supplemented daily with 20 ml of soybean-oil (n=248) until six months postpartum or received no supplement (n=251). dietary fat intake was assessed by 24-hour dietary recall at enrollment and at 1,3 and 6 months postpartum. concentrations of maternal plasma retinol,β-carotene,and lutein were measured at enrollment and at 1,3 and 6 months postpartum,and those of infants at six months postpartum. concentration of breastmilk retinol was measured at 1,3 and 6 months postpartum. the change in concentration of plasma retinol at three months postpartum compared to pregnancy was significantly higher in the supplemented compared to the control women (+0.04 vs -0.07 μmol/l respectively; p<0.05). concentrations of plasma β-carotene and lutein declined in both the groups during the postpartum period but the decline was significantly less in the supplemented than in the control women at one month (β-carotene -0.07 vs -0.13 μmol/l,p<0.05); lutein -0.26 vs -0.49 μmol/l,p<0.05) and three months (β-carotene -0.04 vs -0.08 μmol/l,p<0.05; lutein -0.31 vs -0.47 μmol/l,p<0.05). concentration of breastmilk retinol was also significantly greater in the supplemented group at three months postpartum than in the controls (0.68±0.35 vs 0.55±0.34 μmol/l respectively,p<0.03). concentrations of infants' plasma retinol,β-carotene,and lutein,measured at six months of age,did not differ between the groups. fat supplementation during pregnancy and lactation in women with a very low intake of dietary fat has beneficial effects on maternal postpartum vitamin a status. © international centre for diarrhoeal disease research,bangladesh.