Vitamin A supplementation during puerperium: systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-89102009005000038Keywords:
Vitamin A Deficiency, drug therapy, Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A, Maternal and Child Health, ReviewAbstract
A systematic review on studies evaluating the effect of applying megadoses of vitamin A on the retinol concentrations in maternal milk and blood, as a short-term measure for preventing hypovitaminosis A, was conducted. Based on the strategy of the Brazilian Cochrane Center for randomized trials, 115 published papers were identified in PubMed. From these, through a set of inclusion/exclusion criteria, 14 articles published between 1993 and 2007 were selected. The effects of interventions with three posological regimens (200,000, 300,000 and 400,000 IU) of vitamin A were analyzed. Out of 11 experiments conducted on maternal milk, nine presented elevation of the retinol levels in comparison with the control group; out of nine that evaluated maternal blood, four showed elevation at varying times after applying megadoses of vitamin A. It was concluded that the results from administration of vitamin A at high doses were positive in 82% of the trials on maternal milk, but less notable in relation to maternal blood. No significant differences regarding the posological regimens applied were observed.Downloads
Published
2009-08-01
Issue
Section
Review
How to Cite
Caminha, M. de F. C., Batista Filho, M., Fernandes, T. F. dos S., Arruda, I. K. G. de, & Diniz, A. da S. (2009). Vitamin A supplementation during puerperium: systematic review . Revista De Saúde Pública, 43(4), 699-706. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-89102009005000038