Abstract
The mobilizing effect of diet on plasma levels of vitamin A was studied in groups of mildly vitamin A-deficient and apparently normal children. Both groups showed significant increases in plasma vitamin A when fed diets containing more than 75% of the recommended dietary allowance for proteins and energy, but low in carotenoids. The magnitude of increase observed in plasma vitamin A was similar in both control and deficient children. The lowering in plasma vitamin A and the occurrence of clinical signs of deficiency in such children appear to be secondary to protein energy malnutrition and not entirely due to the very poor stores of vitamin A. These results are of significance in devising methodology for the evaluation of both protein-energy and vitamin A status of the population.
