Serum retinol is influenced by social factors and antioxidant nutrients among adolescent girls in urban Bangladesh

Abstract

The extent to which socio-economic and personal characteristics might interact with zinc and selected antioxidant nutrients to influence serum retinol has been determined in adolescent girls in urban Bangladesh. Two hundred and twenty-five girls, aged between 12 and 15 years, from four girl's high schools participated in the study. Information on their social status was collected by questionnaire and a single sample of blood was analysed for retinol, α-tocopherol, vitamin C, zinc, copper, total cholesterol and serum protein. Of the subjects, 11% had evidence of marginal vitamin A deficiency (retinol < 30 üg/dl), 2% of marginal vitamin E deficiency (α-tocopherol < 400 üg/dl) and 16% were vitamin C deficient (vitamin C < 0.29 mg/dl). About two-thirds of the participants had levels of serum zinc which were subnormal (< 70.0 üg/dl). The subjects were divided into three groups on the basis of the serum retinol concentration and the third with the lowest serum retinol had significantly lower serum protein, cholesterol, α-tocopherol and α-tocopherol: cholesterol ratio. A significant positive correlation was observed between serum retinol and serum α-tocopherol, serum cholesterol and serum zinc; while there was a negative correlation with serum copper. Serum retinol was entered as the dependent variable in a multiple regression analysis and the overall F-ratio (8.7) was highly significant (P = 0.0000), the adjusted ä-square was 0.152 (multiple R = 0.415). Family income, expenditure on food, fathers' education, serum α-tocopherol and serum copper were found to have a significant independent relationship with serum retinol.