Lung development, lung function, and retinoids.

In this issue of the Journal, Checkley et al. report that, in a region with endemic vitamin A (retinol) deficiency, children whose mothers had received vitamin A supplementation before, during, and for 6 months after pregnancy had better lung function when they were tested at 9 to 11 years of age than children whose mothers had received beta carotene supplementation or placebo.1 The extent of the increased lung function was linearly related to the mother's postpartum serum retinol concentration. Because of a local ordinance, all children received supplemental vitamin A beginning at 6 months of age.1 Thus, the period during . . .