To investigate the serum levels of vitamin A, D, E in healthy children in Beijing.

We collected clinical data of healthy children who had been living in Beijing for more than six months. Their serum vitamin A and vitamin E levels were measured by reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection method; serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25-(OH)D] level was measured with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS).

A total of 1 538 healthy children were included. The average level of vitamin A was (0.30±0.07)mg/L; subclinical deficiency rate was 5.2% (80/1 538), of whom 70.0% (56/80) were < 3 years; suspected subclinical deficiency rate was 47.1% (724/1 538), of whom 50.1% (363/724) were <3 years. Infants under 2 years of age were in suspected subclinical deficiency state with an average serum concentration of (0.28±0.07)mg/L. The lowest vitamin A level was observed in breastfed children [(0.25±0.06)mg/L]. The average level of serum 25-(OH)D in the 268 children detected was (25.52±10.88)ng/L, vitamin D deficiency was observed in 30.2% (81/268) of the children, of whom 92.6% (75/81) were ≥ 3 years. The mean serum vitamin E level was (9.21±2.31)mg/L, 85.6% (1 311/1 532) were normal, 0.6% (9/1 532) were deficient, and 13.8% (212/1 532) were insufficient, who were mainly >3 years. Spearman' s correlation coefficients between the serum vitamin A, 25-(OH)D, vitamin E and age were 0.197, -0.420, and -0.319, respectively.

Serum vitamin A level in healthy children may be mainly in suspected subclinical deficiency state. Infants generally in good vitamin D nutritional status, while vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency is more prevalent in school-age children and teenagers. Vitamin E deficiency is rare.

Child; Vitamin A; Vitamin E; 25-hydroxy vitamin D; Deficiency