Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to F Chytil.
This article is based on discussions of the lung cancer panel at the Hohenheim Consensus Meeting organized by the World Health Organization and the German Ministry of Health in November 1996. Panel members were international experts in the field of diet and cancer who discussed specific questions relating to lung cancer risk factors and prevention.
Several lines of evidence suggest that vitamin A is involved in lung development. They are: 1) Dietary deficiency of the fat-soluble vitamin A results in squamous metaplasia of the tracheal and bronchial epithelium. 2) Infants with vitamin A deficiency have a high incidence of respiratory problems. 3) Levels of two intracellular proteins binding specifically retinol (vitamin A alcohol) and retinoic acid (vitamin A acid) change dramatically during perinatal lung development. 4) Prematurely born infants hospitalized for respiratory problems have low serum concentrations of retinol and retinol-binding protein. 5) Postnatal supply of vitamin A by parenteral alimentation may not be adequate, as large quantities of vitamin A are absorbed by the tubing. Careful assessment of vitamin A status in postnatal nutritional management of premature infants is desirable.