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Scientists: Vitamin A will significantly reduce morbidity and mortality rates
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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Children in low- and middle-income countries should receive vitamin A supplements to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality.
Vitamin A (retinol) is essential for bone growth, normal reproductive function, fetal development, vision, healthy skin, hair, and immune system function. The best sources of the vitamin are fish oil and liver, followed by butter, egg yolks, cream, and whole milk. Cereals and skim milk, even with added vitamins, are not considered satisfactory sources, nor is beef, which contains negligible amounts of retinol.
Vitamin A deficiency makes children vulnerable to infections such as diarrhea and measles, and can lead to blindness. The World Health Organization estimates that about 190 million children under five may be suffering from vitamin A deficiency: despite their scale, retinol programs fail to reach many of these children.
A team of scientists from Oxford University (UK) and Aga Khan University (Pakistan) analysed the results of 43 trials of vitamin A supplements in 216,000 children aged 6 months to 5 years living in 19 countries (mostly in Asia); on average, the children began participating in the year-long experiment at the age of two and a half. Differences in study design and quality were taken into account to minimise bias.
Retinol supplements have been found to reduce childhood mortality by 24% in low- and middle-income countries, meaning that more than 600,000 child deaths and millions of serious infections could be saved each year.
Based on these results, the authors strongly recommend giving vitamin supplements to children under five years of age living in areas at risk of vitamin A deficiency. The effectiveness of retinol is so well established and substantiated that further tests comparing the vitamin with a placebo would simply be unethical, the researchers conclude.
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