Vitamin A Supplementation does not Improve Growth of Preschool Children: A Randomized, Double-Blind Field Trial in South India

Abstract

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in an ongoing growth monitoring research project in TamilNadu, India, to assess the role of high dose vitamin A supplementation on the growth of mild to moderately malnourished children <3 y old. The treatment group received 60 mg of vitamin A and the control group received a placebo every 4 mo. Infants 6–11 mo of age received only 30 mg of vitamin A. Cases of xerophthalmia and severe malnutrition were excluded. Anthropometric measurements and serum retinol determinations were made at baseline and at the end of 1 y. The two groups were similar at baseline in nutritional status, serum retinol, age-sex composition and other socio-demographic indicators. The mean height increments were 9.20 ± 3.51 and 9.01 ± 3.41 cm/y for the vitamin A-treated (n = 310) and placebo (n = 282) groups, respectively, and the mean weight increments were 2.02 ± 0.83 and 1.99 ± 0.81 kg/y, respectively. The differences in growth increments between the two groups were not statistically significant. These findings remain unaltered following multivariate analysis and suggest the lack of an effect of vitamin A supplementation on growth in young children where access to health care and immunization are good.