Lifestyle and Environment Nutrition and Metabolic Health
RRM Academy Synopsis
Women with premature ovarian insufficiency had lower vitamin A ratios
A case-control study of 114 women in China found that women with premature ovarian insufficiency had a lower vitamin A to cholesterol ratio than women with regular cycles. Vitamin A alone did not differ in a significant way.
Key Findings
- Researchers compared 47 women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) against 67 normo-ovulatory controls, 114 women in total.
- A higher vitamin A/TC ratio went with lower odds of POI (OR = 0.988, 95% CI: 0.977–0.999, p = 0.04).
- With age, BMI, income, and schooling added to the model, the odds ratio stayed similar (OR = 0.986, 95% CI: 0.972–0.999, p = 0.04).
- Women with POI had a significantly lower vitamin A/TC ratio than controls (p = 0.04).
- Vitamin A alone, without the cholesterol correction, appeared slightly higher in the POI group, with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.13).
Interpretation
The authors ran a case-control, cross-sectional survey, drawing blood once from women with and without POI. Controls were matched on age and BMI. Controls also reported higher income and education, and the adjusted model accounted for both. Every participant had vitamin A within the normal range. The authors note the small sample and call for larger studies.
RRM Context
The authors report that the cause of POI stays unclear in 90% of cases. Restorative reproductive medicine treats an unclear cause as an undiagnosed one and looks for measurable contributors. This study adds vitamin A status, read against blood fats, as a candidate.
Abstract
Background
Although vitamin A is known to play an important role in ovarian function, its association with ovarian insufficiency has not been reported yet. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore the association between serum vitamin A levels and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI).
Methods
This cross-sectional survey included women with POI (n = 47) and normo-ovulatory controls (n = 67) who were enrolled between December 2016 and May 2018 in Zhejiang, China. The serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), vitamin A, and total cholesterol (TC) were measured for each participant. The association of TC-adjusted vitamin A levels with the risk of POI was assessed using binary logistic regression analysis.
Results
Serum vitamin A levels appeared to be slightly higher in the POI group than in the control group, but there was no evidence of a statistically significant difference (728.00 ± 176.00 µg/L vs. 503.93 ± 145.64 µg/L, p = 0.13). After adjustment for serum lipid levels, the serum vitamin A/TC ratio was significantly lower in the POI group than in the control group (143.14 ± 35.86 vs. 157.56 ± 35.21 µg/mmol, p = 0.04). Further, the serum vitamin A/TC ratio was significantly and inversely associated with POI risk (unadjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.988, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.977-0.999, p = 0.04). The association remained after adjusting for confounding factors (age, BMI, annual household income, and education) (OR = 0.986, 95% CI: 0.972-0.999, p = 0.04).
Conclusions
Serum vitamin A/TC ratio was inversely associated with POI risk. Therefore, the serum vitamin A/TC ratio may serve as a predictive factor for POI, and vitamin A supplementation may play help prevent or treat POI.
