Abstract
ABSTRACT: To evaluate the effect of vitamin B6 status on infant growth, we studied longitudinally anthropometry and the erythrocyte parameters that reflect long-term vitamin B6 status [erythrocyte pyridoxal 5‘-phosphate concentration (EPLP), erythrocyte aspartate transaminase basal activity (EASTo), and its activation co-efficient (αEAST)] in 44 infants. The infants were exclusively breast-fed for 6 mo, given additional solids according a uniform schedule from 6–9 mo, and formula after 9 mo, if needed. In seven of these infants, a low vitamin B6 status (EPLP < 10th, and EASTo > 10th or αEAST > 90th percentile for these values in reference infants) was observed between 4 and 6 mo of age. These seven infants showed slower length velocity (0.30 ± 0.05 versus 0.40 ± 0.02 mm/d, p ≤ 0.02) and deeper fall in length-for-age (–0.69 ± 0.20 versus 0.25 ± 0.07 SD score, p ≤ 0.03) from 6 to 9 mo of age than the similarly fed infants with higher vitamin B6 status. Preceding vitamin B6 status remained a significant explanatory factor for length velocity and change in length-for-age in addition to preceding and concomitant weight velocity, when sex, birth size, preceding length gain, and mid-parent height were taken into account. Change in weight-for-age alone explained 16% and 18% and, together with vitamin B6 status, 23 and 27% of the variation in length velocity and in change in length-for-age, respectively. Thus, in healthy breastfed infants, according to our results, low vitamin B6 status is associated with reversibly reduced gain in length.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Heiskanen, K., Shmes, M., Salmenperä, L. et al. Low Vitamin B6 Status Associated with Slow Growth in Healthy Breast-Fed Infants. Pediatr Res 38, 740–746 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199511000-00018
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199511000-00018
This article is cited by
-
Micronutrient status, cognition and behavioral problems in childhood
European Journal of Nutrition (2008)