Liver concentrations of vitamin A and carotenoids, as a function of age and other parameters, of American children who died of various causes.

To assess the age-dependent vitamin A status of children, liver samples taken at autopsy from 170 American children 0-15 yr of age were analyzed for vitamin A and carotenoids. The median liver vitamin A concentration at birth was low (11 micrograms retinol/g), remained constant to 3 mo, rapidly increased to 4 yr (130 micrograms/g) and then remained constant into adolescence. In contrast the vitamin A status of premature infants deteriorated after birth. Of infants less than 3 mo, approximately one-fourth and two-thirds showed liver vitamin A concentrations less than or equal to 5 micrograms retinol/g and less than or equal to 20 micrograms/g, respectively. On the other hand, essentially all infants greater than or equal to 6 months showed an adequate vitamin A status, defined as liver stores greater than 20 micrograms retinol/g liver. Liver carotenoid concentrations did not meaningfully correlate with age or with vitamin A concentrations. Parameters that did not significantly affect the vitamin A concentration were: 1) height and weight in infants less than 1 mo, except in the highest weight-height groups, 2) sex, although values of females were slightly higher than males, and 3) causes of death.