Retinol Equivalence of Plant Carotenoids in Children

To determine vitamin A value of beta-carotene in oil capsule, spinach, and golden rice.

The experiments will be conducted in children (ages 7-9) with/without adequate vitamin A nutrition. As plant provitamin A carotenoids are a major and safe vitamin A source for a vast population in the world, it is essential to determine the efficiency of provitamin A carotenoid (mainly ß-C) conversion to vitamin A. By introducing ß-C into rice endosperm, Golden Rice may directly benefit consumers by providing vitamin A nutrition. Our investigation uses hydroponically grown, deca-deuterium labeled spinach and Golden Rice, synthetic ß-C-d10 and a vitamin A isotope reference, deca-deuterated retinyl acetate (RAc-d10), to evaluate the bioavailability and the bioconversion of plant provitamin A carotenes to retinol as compared with ß-C in oil capsules in vivo.

Our objectives will be to test the following hypotheses and to make the following determinations: (1) The absorption and bio-conversion of provitamin A carotenes taken by children are different between spinach, Golden Rice, and ß-C in oil capsules. (2) The absorption of provitamin A carotenes and their bioconversion to vitamin A are different in children with or without adequate vitamin A nutrition. (3) To define the vitamin A equivalence(s) of dietary spinach, Golden Rice, and a ß-C in oil dose by using an isotope reference method in children with or without adequate vitamin A nutrition and to compare those values with values derived from model based compartmental analysis. (4) To determine the number and time of blood samples needed for future studies in various field settings on the retinol equivalence of a large number of plant sources.

This study will be of importance in planning vitamin A deficiency prevention strategies and also will provide useful information regarding the potential efficacy of a bioengineered crop to provide vitamin A nutrition.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Detailed Description

Seventy-two children each will take two meals, lunch and supper, containing equal amounts of ß-C in labeled spinach (along with white rice), or Golden Rice (along with light colored vegetables), or ß-C oil capsules (along with white rice and light colored vegetables), every day for 7 days. Before the two meals, the volunteers will take a breakfast with a RAc-d10 dose as a reference for 7 days. The enrichment of labeled ß-C and labeled retinol in human circulation will be determined using advanced liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry and gas chromatography / mass spectrometry. Through the applications of these novel technologies, we will be able to determine the relative biological activities of endogenous carotenoids; that is, the vitamin A value of spinach, Golden Rice, and ß-C in oil capsules for children with/without vitamin A malnutrition.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

32

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

7 years to 9 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

healthy children with normal or marginal vitamin A nutrition

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 7-9 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Parasitic infection

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Case-Only

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Publications and helpful links

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General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2004

Study Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2005

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 6, 2004

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 11, 2004

First Posted (Estimate)

May 12, 2004

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 13, 2010

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 12, 2010

Last Verified

January 1, 2010

More Information

Terms related to this study

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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