Distribution of retinol, carotenoids and tocopherols in serum lipoproteins in lactating women: a longitudinal study (1017.10)

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the distribution of retinol, carotenoids and tocopherols in serum lipoprotein fractions, and to investigate associations with dietary intake in a longitudinal observational study with Brazilian lactating women. Lactating adults (n=15) were followed from between the weeks 2 to 4 (t1) through to weeks 12 and 14 (t2) postpartum. Dietary intake was assessed through dietary records and a quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Dietary data were analyzed by the Multiple Source Method internet tool (https://msm.dife.de/). Serum vitamins were analyzed by reversed phase HPLC‐DAD‐FL. Levels of carotenoids in serum were comparable to those reported for Brazilian lactating women in other studies. Alpha‐tocoferol, alpha‐carotene, beta‐carotene and lycopene were primarily parted in LDL/VLDL fraction and lutein and zeaxanthin were primarily in HDL fraction. In contrast, retinol was equally distributed between the LDL/VLDL and the HDL/RBP fractions. Both total and HDL‐fraction lutein/zeaxanthin were positively correlated (Pearson) with dietary intake (p< 0.007 and p< 0.005, respectively). Our results indicate that retinol, carotenoids and tocopherols are differently distributed in serum lipoproteins, suggesting that selective mechanisms can account for serum transport of these components in lactating women, with potential consequences to mechanisms of transference into breast milk.Grant Funding Source: Supported by FAPERJ, CNPq, CAPES (Brazil)