The Vitamin Status of Low Birth Weight Infants and Their Mothers

Abstract
The levels of vitamins A, E, B1, B2, folate, and B12 were measured in maternal blood, cord blood, and in 5-day neonate capillary blood samples. Twenty-six infants and their mothers served as controls and were compared with 32 low birth weight (LBW) infants. LBW infants showed significantly lower levels of vitamins A, E, B2, and folate than the controls. The folate status of mothers of LBW infants was significantly lower (7 ± 1.8 ng/ml) than that of control mothers (21 ± 0.8 ng/ml).