ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Maternal supplementation is a viable strategy to combat vitamin E deficiency in newborns, although a protocol for maternal vitamin E supplementation has not been defined. The present study assessed the effect of maternal supplementation in a single dose on the serum of postpartum women up to 60 days after delivery. METHODOLOGY: Fifty healthy breastfeeding women were recruited at two maternity hospitals both located in Natal, RN, Brazil. The participants were randomly allocated to a control group and a treatment group in a 1 : 1 ratio. Serum was collected 1, 20, 30 and 60 days after delivery. Immediately after the first collection, the treatment group received a single dose of 400 IU of RRR-α-tocopherol. α-Tocopherol was quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. The usual dietary vitamin E intake was determined using four 24-h recalls, and intake adequacy was assessed based on the estimated average requirements for lactating women (16 mg day-1 ). RESULTS: The mean dietary vitamin E intakes of the both groups were similar (P > 0.05) and inadequate. The serum levels of α-tocopherol assessed at 1, 20, 30 and 60 days indicated adequate vitamin E status in both the control group (1194.6, 907.7, 910 and 748.6 µg dL-1 , respectively) and treatment group (1183.7, 956.0, 935.9 and 766.4 µg dL-1 , respectively). The comparison at each day showed no difference between treatments (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A single vitamin E supplement did not change the mean serum level of α-tocopherol in breastfeeding women; thus, it does not improve their vitamin E status in the first 60 days after delivery.