TABLE 2.
Distribution of vitamin A in male Mongolian gerbils in Study 3, which included carrots as a provitamin A source and retinyl palmitate as a fortificant1
| Liver | Adipose | Serum | Total body | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total vitamin A concentration2 | 0.585 ± 0.353 | 0.975 ± 0.544 | 1.21 ± 0.21 | — |
| Mass/volume of tissue3 | 2.61 ± 0.565 | 8.13 ± 3.29 | 1.72 ± 0.134 | 55.9 ± 4.1 |
| Total vitamin A in tissue, μmol | 1.55 ± 1.09 | 0.0077 ± 0.0052 | 0.0021 ± 0.0004 | 1.56 ± 1.105 |
| Total body vitamin A stores, % | 99.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 100 |
1
Values are means ± SDs, n = 66.
2
Values are in μmol/g (for liver), nmol/g (for adipose), and μmol/L (for serum).
3
Values are in g except for serum (mL).
4
Calculated assuming 7.7 mL blood/100 g body weight (29) and a serum fraction of blood of ∼0.4.
5
Calculated as the sum of total vitamin A in these 3 tissues, which are predicted to contain >90% of all vitamin A in the body (1).