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Geographic and socio-demographic determinants of plasma retinol concentrations in Chinese pregnant and lactating women

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Abstract

Purpose

To examine plasma retinol status and its determinants in Chinese pregnant or lactating women.

Methods

A cross-sectional study involving 1211 healthy women in mid-pregnancy, late pregnancy, or lactation was conducted in northern, central, and southern China. Plasma retinol concentration was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Multivariate quantile regression or modified Poisson regression was used to estimate adjusted medians, or to examine the associations of suboptimal retinol concentration (< 1.05 µmol/L) with various factors.

Results

The overall median (interquartile range) retinol concentration was 1.25 (1.06–1.46) µmol/L. The adjusted concentration was higher in women at lactation (1.39 [1.20–1.63] µmol/L) and mid-pregnancy (1.26 [1.10–1.44] µmol/L) than late pregnancy (1.07 [0.92–1.28] µmol/L), and higher in women in the central area (1.34 [1.18–1.49] µmol/L) and the north (1.26 [1.10–1.43] µmol/L) than the south (1.19 [1.07–1.31] µmol/L). The retinol concentration was more likely to be low in women with lower pre-pregnancy BMI, younger age, less education, and in lactating women who had a caesarean birth or were breastfeeding exclusively. A total of 290 (24.0%) women had a suboptimal retinol concentration, and the prevalence was higher in women at late pregnancy, residing in the south, with younger age, and having underweight pre-pregnancy.

Conclusion

About one-fourth of pregnant or lactating women in China had suboptimal retinol concentrations that varied with phases of pregnancy and lactation, region of residence, and socio-demographic characteristics, indicating a need for population-specific public health strategies to optimize vitamin A status.

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Abbreviations

95% CI:

95% Confidence interval

BMI:

Body mass index

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid

IQR:

Interquartile range

PR:

Prevalence ratio

QC:

Quality control

SD:

Standard deviation

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Acknowledgements

We thank all physicians, nurses and other staff members from Weihai Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Yueyang Maternal and Child Health Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical School, and The Third Hospital of Baogang Group for their outstanding assistance with the field work. We are also indebted to all women who participated in this study for their cooperation.

Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 81801542]; and the Wyeth Nutrition Science Center [project number 14.10.CN.INF]. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/ National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, Peking University Health Science Center, No. 38 Xueyuan Rd, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China

    Yubo Zhou, Keyi Si, Hongtian Li, Xiucui Li & Jianmeng Liu

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China

    Yubo Zhou, Keyi Si, Hongtian Li, Xiucui Li & Jianmeng Liu

  3. Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Sherry A. Tanumihardjo

Authors
  1. Yubo Zhou
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  2. Keyi Si
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  3. Hongtian Li
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  4. Xiucui Li
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  5. Sherry A. Tanumihardjo
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  6. Jianmeng Liu
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Contributions

JL conceived, designed and supervised the study, critically revised the manuscript, and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and has full access to all of the data in the study. YZ designed the study, collected the data, did the analysis, interpreted the data, and drafted the manuscript. HL designed the study, collected the data, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. KS and XL analyzed the samples, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. SAT interpreted the data, critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jianmeng Liu.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board/Human Subjects Committee at Peking University Health Science Center (IRB00001052-14012; date of approval: 22 April 2014).

Consent to participate

All women provided written informed consent to participate.

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All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Zhou, Y., Si, K., Li, H. et al. Geographic and socio-demographic determinants of plasma retinol concentrations in Chinese pregnant and lactating women. Eur J Nutr 61, 1561–1570 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-021-02759-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-021-02759-x

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