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Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2003 Sep 1;94(5):386–390. doi: 10.1007/BF03403568

Vitamin A Concentration in Umbilical Cord Blood of Infants from Three Separate Regions of the Province of Québec (Canada)

Frédéric Dallaire 117,217, Eric Dewailly 117,217,✉, Ramesh Shademani 117,217, Claire Laliberté 117,217, Suzanne Bruneau 117,217, Marc Rhainds 117,217, Carole Blanchet 117,217, Michel Lefebvre 117,217, Pierre Ayotte 117,217
PMCID: PMC6979776  PMID: 14577751

Abstract

Background

Inuit women from Northern Québec have been shown to consume inadequate quantities of vitamin A. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of blood vitamin A deficiency in newborns from 3 distinct populations of the province of Québec.

Methods

594 newborns were included in this study (375 Inuit newborns from northern Québec (Nunavik), 107 Caucasian and Native newborns from the Lower Northern Shore of the Saint-Lawrence River (LNS) and 112 newborns from Southern Québec where clinical vitamin A deficiency is uncommon). Mothers were recruited at delivery and vitamin A (retinol) was analyzed from umbilical cord blood samples by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography.

Results

Nunavik and LNS newborns had significantly lower mean vitamin A concentrations in cord blood compared to Southern Québec participants (15.7 μg/dL, 16.8 μg/dL and 20.4 μg/dL respectively). The differences observed were similar when adjusted for sex and birthweight. Results also showed that 8.5% of Nunavik newborns and 12.2% of LNS newborns were below 10.0 μg/dL, a level thought to be indicative of blood vitamin A deficiency in neonates.

Conclusion

These data suggest that a carefully planned vitamin A supplementation program during pregnancy in Nunavik and LNS might be indicated to promote healthy infant development.

Footnotes

Acknowledgements: Recruitment and analysis were financed through the Northern Contaminants Program (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada), the St-Laurent Vision 2000 program (Health Canada and Environnement Québec), and by Hydro Québec. The authors thank the staff of the participating hospitals and health centres for their helpful collaboration. F. Dallaire is supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

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