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Serum nutritional status of tocopherol and retinol normalized to lipids of persons living in the southern rural Terai region in Nepal

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Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine Aims and scope

Abstract

Objective

The present study examined the levels of serum α-Tocopherol (Toc), retinol (Ret), cholesterol (Chol) and triglycerides (TG), and their correlations in the sera of people in Nepal.

Methods

The survey was conducted on the general populace in the agricultural Terai region in southern Nepal. The study population consisted of 93 males and 83 females aged 10–68 years. Serum Toc and Ret were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Results

No significant differences were observed between the genders for the average of total Chol (T-Chol) (140 and 145 mg/100 ml, respectively), HDL-C (45 and 47 mg/100 ml), LDL-C (94 and 97 mg/100 ml), and TG (106 and 110 mg/100 ml), and the ratio of LDL/HDL (2.16). The levels of mean Toc (4.32 and 4.27 μg/ml) were about the same for both genders, while the mean Ret levels were significantly higher for males (624 ng/ml) than for females (535 ng/ml) (p<0.001). A direct relationship was found between the levels of Toc and Ret (r=0.46, p<0.001 and r=0.28, p<0.05 for males and females, respectively). Serum levels of Toc and Ret were positively related to the levels of Chol (r=0.48 and r=0.58, p<0.001 for males and r=0.49, p<0.01 and r-0.28, p<0.05 for females, respectively). The ratio of Toc/TG normalized to serum TG was directly correlated to the ratio of Ret/TG (r=0.79 for males, and r=0.72 for females, p<0.001, respectively) and the ratios of Toc/TG and Ret/TG were negatively related to the LDL/HDL levels (r=−0.49 and r=−0.43, for males, and r=−0.46 and r=−0.57 for females, p<0.001, respectively).

Conclusion

The levels of Toc and Ret were low in the sera of people living in the southern rural Terai region in Nepal, and it was found that lower levels of Toc and Ret normalized to TG increased the ratio of LDL/HDL. These results suggest that greater intake of foods rich in Toc and Ret should be encouraged to reduce the erisk of coronary heart disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, School of Human Environmental Sciences, Mukogawa Women’s University, Hyogo, Japan

    Yoshimi Ohno

  2. Osaka Joshigakuen Junior College, Osaka, Japan

    Hisa Higuchi

  3. Soai College, Osaka, Japan

    Seiko Mizuno

  4. Department of Bacteriology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan

    Kumiko Nagata & Toshihide Tamura

  5. Department of Microbiology, Nepal Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Shiva K. Rai

  6. Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Mathura P. Shrestha

  7. Department of Health and Nutrition, Graduate School of Human Life Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, 558-8585, Osaka, Japan

    Kazuko Hirai, Mayumi Jindai, Yoko Aoki & Eriko Hayashi

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Hirai, K., Ohno, Y., Jindai, M. et al. Serum nutritional status of tocopherol and retinol normalized to lipids of persons living in the southern rural Terai region in Nepal. Environ Health Prev Med 9, 13–21 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1265/ehpm.9.13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1265/ehpm.9.13

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