Vitamin E and C levels in infants during the first year of life

Abstract

The considerably lower vitamin E level found in cord blood and in newborns at birth than those found in the venous blood of mothers at delivery are not yet fully explained. In a group of 217 not selected newborns, we attempted to establish the relation between vitamin E and C levels at delivery and the changes during the first year of life. The mean serum vitamin E level rose from 0.37 mg/ml at 3 days to 0.80 mg/100 ml at 6 months and to 0.72 mg/100 ml at 12 months. On the other hand vitamin C mean levels lowered from 0.93 mg/100 ml in cord blood to 0.77 mg/100 ml at 6 months and to 0.73 mg/100 ml at 12 months. The rise of vitamin E values could be explained by the early use of infant solid foods with high vitamin and mineral content and by the increase of serum lipoproteins. Except at 3 days after delivery there were no individual values of serum vitamin E below the acceptable 0.35 mg/100 ml limit. However, serum vitamin C levels compatible with a moderate risk were very often observed, i.e., in 27.1% of infants at 6 months and in 30.5% at 1 year. Thus, vitamin E intake in infants was satisfactory with the usual diet but not vitamin C for which blood levels were not adequate. In view of these findings it appears necessary to evaluate periodically the vitamin E as well as vitamin C status in the infant population.

Plasma levels and redox status of coenzyme Q10 in infants and children

“…Besides CoQ10 ascorbic acid is another important sensitive antioxidant against oxidative stress. Studies concerning age-related plasma levels could demonstrate a significant decrease in ascorbic acid levels in the first year of life in contrast to α-tocopherol [13,44]. This finding might be induced by the poor ascorbic acid content in infant nutrition as discussed by the authors.…”

“…This finding might be induced by the poor ascorbic acid content in infant nutrition as discussed by the authors. Vobecky and co-workers [44] could demonstrate that dietary histories in infancy show a rather limited choice of vegetables and fruits. Furthermore, most of these products were consumed after cooking [44].…”

Nutrient Requirements For Preterm Infant Formulas

“…Several studies have reported higher blood vitamin C concentrations at birth in preterm than in term infants, followed by a rapid decline (Gopinathan et al, 1994;Heinonen et al, 1986;Silvers et al, 1998). This decline can be ameliorated by administration of high amounts of vitamin C (Arad et al, 1982;Gopinathan et al, 1994;Heinonen et al, 1986;Silvers et al, 1998;Vobecky et al, 1976). However, the clinical significance of the high plasma levels and the rapid decline is not established.…”

Solid state nuclear track detectors

“…Distributions of radioactive elements in metals and other materials can be determined by direct contact with an SSNDT [127][128][129][130][131]. Also neutroninduced fission reactions in boron have been used to determine its distribution in steel [132].…”