Less than adequate vitamin E status observed in a group of preschool boys and girls living in the United States.

In that data were not available on the vitamin E status of young children, the aim of the study was to evaluate the vitamin E status of preschool children by three commonly used criteria: vitamin E intakes, plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations and plasma alpha-tocopherol/total lipid ratios. Twenty-two ethnically diverse preschool children (13 males and 9 females), aged 2 to 5 years, living in Lincoln, NE, served as subjects. The subjects were in two groups: 2-3 and 4-5 years old. Energy, fat, and alpha- and gamma-tocopherol intakes of the subjects were estimated utilizing two 24-h food recalls. Plasma alpha- and gamma-tocopherol and total lipid concentrations were ascertained. No significant differences by age grouping or gender were observed for vitamin E intakes, plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations, plasma gamma-tocopherol concentrations and plasma alpha-tocopherol/total lipid ratios of subjects. Plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations indicative of less than adequate status (<12 micromol/L) were observed in 91% of the children, and values <7 micromol/L (proposed cutoff for pediatric populations) in 68%. Sixty-eight percent of the subjects had plasma alpha-tocopherol/total lipid values <0.8 mg/g. The majority of the 2- to 5-year-old children included in the study had less than adequate vitamin E status.