부산대학교 도서관

This study evaluates the effects of retinol on intestinal barrier function, growth, total parasites, and Giardiaspp infections in children in northeastern Brazil. The study was a double‐blind, randomized placebo‐controlled trial (http://clinicaltrials.gov; register no. #NCT00133406) involving 79 children who received vitamin A 100,000–200,000 IU (n = 39) or placebo (n = 40) at enrollment, 4, and 8 months and were followed for 36 months. Intestinal barrier function was evaluated using the lactulose:mannitol ratio test. Stool lactoferrin was used as a marker for intestinal inflammation. The groups were similar with regard to age, sex, nutritional parameters (zscores), serum retinol concentrations, proportion of lactoferrin‐positive stool samples, and intestinal barrier function. The lactulose:mannitol ratio did not change during the same time of follow‐up (P> 0.05). The proportion of lactoferrin‐positive samples evaluated at 1 month did not change between groups (P> 0.05). Total intestinal parasitic, specifically new, infections were significantly lower in the vitamin A treatment compared with control group; these were accounted for entirely by significantly fewer new Giardiainfections in the vitamin A treatment group. The cumulative zscores for weight‐for‐length or height, length or height‐for‐age zscores, and weight‐for‐age did not change significantly with vitamin A intervention for 36 months of follow‐up. These data showed that total parasitic infection and Giardiaspp infections were significantly lower in the vitamin A treatment group when compared with the placebo group, suggesting that vitamin A improves the host's defenses against Giardiainfections.