Daily supplements of vitamin A (8.4 mumol, 8000 IU) improve the vitamin A status of lactating Indonesian women.

The vitamin A statuses of lactating Indonesian women (n = 23) starting at 1-3 mo after delivery were determined at three monthly intervals (times 1, 2, and 3) during lactation and then again (time 4) after they had ingested vitamin A capsules (8.4 mumol, 8000 IU) daily for 35 d. Vitamin A status was determined by using the modified-relative-dose-response (MRDR) test and serum retinol concentrations. The mean MRDR ratio in these women rose from 0.084 +/- 0.047 (time 1) to 0.099 +/- 0.045 (time 2) and then to 0.100 +/- 0.054 (time 3). After supplementation the mean MRDR ratio fell to 0.040 +/- 0.021 (time 4) (P < 0.0001). Mean serum retinol concentrations at the first three times were 0.94 +/- 0.23, 0.87 +/- 0.20, and 0.80 +/- 0.20 mumol/L, but then rose to 1.10 +/- 0.31 mumol/L at time 4 (P < 0.04). After supplementation mean MRDR values and mean serum retinol concentrations were 60% lower and 38% higher, respectively, than those just before supplementation, MRDR values better distinguished the vitamin A statuses of the women than did serum retinol concentrations. Mean hemoglobin values increased during the study from 118 +/- 9 g/L at time 1 to 122 +/- 6 g/L at time 4 (P = 0.0187). The mean hematocrit also rose from 0.35 +/- 0.03 at time 1 to 0.361 +/- 0.17 at time 4 (P = 0.0478). Thus, iron status may also have improved marginally from time 1 to time 4, but most of the increase appeared before the vitamin A intervention.