Vitamin A status in healthy women eating traditionally prepared spirulina (Dihé) in the Chad Lake area

Chad Lake is a central place in a region with a high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency. Spirulina, a natural source of β-carotene, is traditionally produced and eaten as "Dihé" around Chad Lake. β-carotene spirulina has been found to have a high conversion factor to retinol. The aim of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2018-01, Vol.13 (1), p.e0191887-e0191887
Main Authors: Soudy, Imar Djibrine, Minet-Quinard, Régine, Mahamat, Alhadj Djidda, Ngoua, Hadjé Fatimé, Izzedine, Abdelaziz Arada, Tidjani, Abdelsalam, Ngo Bum, Elisabeth, Lambert, Céline, Pereira, Bruno, Desjeux, Jehan-François, Sapin, Vincent
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anthropometry
Biology and Life Sciences
Blood
Body measurements
Carotene
Chad
Consumption
Diet
Earth Sciences
Eating
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Ethics
Female
Food
Food and Nutrition
Humans
Inflammation
Lakes
Life Sciences
Linear programming
Medicine and Health Sciences
Nutrient deficiency
People and Places
Physical sciences
Population
Retinene
Spirulina
Vitamin A
Vitamin A - blood
β-Carotene
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Summary:Chad Lake is a central place in a region with a high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency. Spirulina, a natural source of β-carotene, is traditionally produced and eaten as "Dihé" around Chad Lake. β-carotene spirulina has been found to have a high conversion factor to retinol. The aim of the study was to assess if the retinol status between healthy women eating spirulina Dihé daily (SPI+) and not (SPI-) in the Chad Lake area was different. This study was observational: 88 healthy women were recruited and selected according to clinical criteria and their willingness to participate. They were divided in two groups according to their Dihé daily consumption: those who eat Dihé (SPI+; n = 35) and those who do not (SPI-; n = 35). After anthropometric and dietary assessments, blood retinol, β-carotene, retinol binding, and inflammatory/nutritional proteins were measured. The diet between groups was identical, except for β-carotene consumption, which was higher in SPI+ than in SPI- (10.8 vs. 1.8 mg/day). The serum retinol and β-carotene concentrations were significantly higher in SPI+ than in SPI- at 1.26 ± 0.36 μmol/l versus 1.03 ± 0.31 μmol/l (p = 0.008) and 0.59 ±0.37 μmol/l versus 0.46± 0.31 μmol/l (p = 0.04), respectively. Seventy-seven percent of SPI+ versus 29% of SPI- had an adequate blood retinol value (p = 0.01). The results confirm that β-carotene in spirulina is an effective positive modulator of blood retinol status. Dihé is a potential natural source of β-carotene to achieve a proper vitamin A status in healthy women living near Chad Lake.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0191887