Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China.
J Clin Lab Anal. 2021 Apr;35(4):e23726. doi: 10.1002/jcla.23726. Epub 2021 Feb 9.
Vitamins A and E play important roles in sustaining life activities and maintaining a good physical condition. However, most people, particularly the elderly, experience micronutrient deficiencies. This study aimed to establish reference intervals (RIs) for vitamins A and E in Chinese elderly people using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method.
A total of 356 apparently healthy individuals aged ≥64 years who underwent health checkups were randomly selected for the study. Vitamin A and E levels were measured using LC-MS/MS. The effect of sex on vitamin A and E levels was evaluated, and RIs were established using a parametric method.
Females showed significantly higher levels of vitamin E than males (p < 0.05). However, no significant sex-specific difference was observed with vitamin A levels. The RI for vitamin A in the elderly was 0.283-0.730 mg/L. For vitamin E, the RIs were 4.39-15.63, 4.51-16.14, and 4.41-14.67 mg/L for the total, female, and male participants, respectively. In multiple linear regression, alanine aminotransferase, glutamyl transpeptidase, urea, glucose, and uric acid levels increased with increasing vitamin A levels (p < 0.05), and total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels increased with increasing vitamin E levels (p < 0.05). Direct bilirubin levels decreased with increasing vitamin E levels (p < 0.05).
This study established RIs for vitamins A and E in Chinese elderly individuals using an LC-MS/MS method. We also found that females had significantly higher vitamin E levels than males. The findings could provide a scientific basis for interpreting vitamin status in the elderly.
维生素 A 和 E 在维持生命活动和保持良好身体状况方面发挥着重要作用。然而，大多数人，尤其是老年人，存在微量营养素缺乏的问题。本研究旨在采用液相色谱-串联质谱法（LC-MS/MS）建立中国老年人维生素 A 和 E 的参考区间（RI）。
本研究共纳入 356 名年龄≥64 岁的健康体检者，采用 LC-MS/MS 检测其维生素 A 和 E 水平。评估了性别对维生素 A 和 E 水平的影响，并采用参数法建立 RI。
女性的维生素 E 水平显著高于男性（p<0.05），但维生素 A 水平无明显性别差异。老年人维生素 A 的 RI 为 0.283-0.730mg/L。维生素 E 的 RI 分别为总人群、女性和男性参与者的 4.39-15.63、4.51-16.14 和 4.41-14.67mg/L。在多元线性回归中，随着维生素 A 水平的升高，丙氨酸氨基转移酶、谷氨酰转肽酶、尿素、葡萄糖和尿酸水平也随之升高（p<0.05），而总胆固醇和低密度脂蛋白胆固醇水平则随维生素 E 水平的升高而升高（p<0.05）。直接胆红素水平随维生素 E 水平的升高而降低（p<0.05）。
本研究采用 LC-MS/MS 法建立了中国老年人维生素 A 和 E 的 RI。我们还发现女性的维生素 E 水平明显高于男性。本研究结果可为解释老年人维生素状况提供科学依据。
