Vitamin A Bioavailability in Lactating Women With Marginal Vitamin A Status

The specific aim is to compare the effects of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and tangerines compared to white-fleshed sweet potatoes and vitamin A as retinyl palmitate on blood and breast milk cryptoxanthin (CX), beta-carotene (BC), and vitamin A (VA) concentrations by randomly assigning lactating Bangladeshi women to one of four treatment groups for 6 days/week for 3 weeks.

The investigators will also compare the relative vitamin A (VA) value of BC and CX from food sources by comparing the mean change in breast milk retinol concentrations of the groups that receive tangerines (CX) or orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (BC) with the mean change in breast milk retinol of the group that receives retinyl palmitate.

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy women in Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Lactating women in their 2nd or 3rd month of lactation who are planning to breast-feed at least 6 months
• Breast-feeding only one infant
• Age range 18 to 45 years
• Not pregnant
• Serum retinol concentrations >0.70 umol/L and <1.10 umol/L
• Normal concentrations of CRP (<10 mg/L)
• At least one arm vein deemed adequate for blood collection, as evaluated by a screening nurse.
• Willing to consume the test foods daily 6 d/wk for one month

Exclusion criteria

• Health status is not compatible with the inclusion criteria, such as screening blood chemistries indicative of vitamin A deficiency.
• Severe anemia (Hb <9 mg/dL)
• Current pregnancy
• Must not have known allergy to citrus fruit (tangerines or mandarin oranges) or sweet potatoes
• Must have no obvious psychological or sociological problems-such as alcoholism, drug abuse, or severe and acute mental illness that would influence their ability to sign an inform consent agreement or to participate in study duties and activities