The influence of vitamin A supplementation on iron status.

Vitamin A (VA) and iron deficiencies are important nutritional problems, affecting particularly preschool children, as well as pregnant and lactating women. A PubMed (National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA) literature review was carried out to search for clinical trials published from 1992 to 2013 that assessed the influence of vitamin A supplementation on iron status. Simultaneous use of iron and vitamin A supplements seemed to be more effective to prevent iron deficiency anemia than the use of these micronutrients alone.

Influence of iron on vitamin A nutritional status.

Iron deficiency seems to deteriorate vitamin A metabolism leading to a reduction in serum retinol and an increase in hepatic retinol and retinyl ester. These alterations probably result from an increase in retinol sequestration to the liver and/or impairment in the activity of hepatic retinyl ester hydrolases decreasing vitamin A mobilization.