NEWCASTLE, England, Nov 23, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Half of British women lack
vitamin A due to a genetic variation, scientists found.
Researchers at Newcastle University in England, led by Dr. Georg Lietz, found 47
percent of volunteer group of 62 women carried a genetic variation that
prevented their bodies from effectively converting beta-carotene into vitamin A.
The findings suggest beta carotene may not be an effective substitute for
vitamin A for women whose bodies are not able to make the conversion, Lietz
said. Beta carotene has been suggested for pregnant women since a 1987 study
linked too much vitamin A with certain birth defects.
"Worryingly, younger women are at particular risk," Lietz said in a statement.
"The older generations tend to eat more eggs, milk and liver which are naturally
rich in vitamin A, whereas the health-conscious youngsters on low-fat diets are
relying heavily on the beta-carotene form of the nutrient."
The study findings were published in the Federation of American Societies for
Experimental Biology Journal and were presented at the Hohenheim Nutrition
Conference in Stuttgart, Germany.
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