According to the diagnostic study completed by the Benson Agriculture and Food Institute research team, lack of vitamin A is a common dietary deficiency among those living in the rural communities of eastern Guatemala. The frequency of this deficiency is notably high for children and pregnant women. By obtaining adequate vitamin A in the diet, growing children and developing fetuses can avoid certain detrimental health problems.

Recognizing the nutritional significance of vitamin A, University of San Carlos student Ana Luisa Mendez Hernandez focused her thesis research on better understanding the reasons behind vitamin A deficiency. Although sources of vitamin A may be available, actual consumption variations, food preparation methods, and the body’s absorption capacity can all diminish the amount of vitamin A that a person can integrate. Mendez’s study focused on better understanding these variables, as she surveyed the vitamin A–rich foods commonly consumed in the communities, the methods of preparing these foods, and the actual vitamin A content of the portions that the family members receive.

Why Vitamin A?

The cost-effectiveness of pre-venting vitamin A deficiency and the grave danger such deficiency poses to young children has motivated organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF to address vitamin A deficiency on a global level. One of the most important roles of vitamin A is to maintain the epithelial tissues in the body. These tissues line digestive and respiratory tracts, as well as secretory tissues, such as those in the eyes. The degradation of these tissues places the body at an increased risk for various complications. Some common physiological effects of vitamin A deficiency include eye damage leading to blindness, and increased severity of infections such as measles and diarrhea disease, even to lethal levels (WHO, 1998).

Fortunately, the severe complications associated with vitamin A deficiency respond considerably to preventative treatments. WHO and UNICEF -jointly determined to eradicate vitamin A deficiency throughout the world, first focusing on the most severely affected areas and administering vitamin A supplements to children as well as women of child-bearing age. While this type of treatment is useful and effective, these organizations recognize that their solution is a temporary one. In fact, they state that those who choose to use this supplement to deliver vitamin A “should plan from the outset to provide a food-based solution within a defined time period” (WHO, 1998). It is the goal of the Benson Institute to provide this kind of long-term solution through changes in dietary habits.

Dietary Sources of Vitamin A

Good sources of vitamin A include breast milk, liver, eggs, butter, and cow’s whole milk. Retinol, a precursor to vitamin A, is converted to vitamin A in the abdominal walls. Green leafy vegetables, orange and yellow fruits, and red palm oil are good sources of retinol (UNICEF, 1998). Because vegetables are the most available source of vitamin A in rural Guatemala, Mendez focused her thesis study on the availability, preparation, and consumption of vitamin A–rich vegetables.

The objective of Mendez’s study was to determine the main vegetable sources of vitamin A in the diet of the people in Salitrón, Chancó, and Corral de Piedra. She gathered information for her study by meeting with and interviewing community focal groups. These groups of local mothers furnished Mendez with information about the dietary habits of their families. Through the information she obtained in these group interviews, Mendez compiled a list of the vegetables that at least half of the families consume once a week or more.

After determining the commonly eaten dishes, Mendez and her research team measured the vitamin A content in each preparation. Mendez then could calculate the actual vitamin A content of each dish, instead of estimating it from the vitamin A levels of the raw vegetables.

Materials and Methods

The first phase of Mendez’s study took place in the communities of Salitrón, Chancó, and Corral de Piedra. She held a meeting with a group of mothers in each of the communities. A total of 28 women participated and contributed information about their families’ vegetable consumption habits. Mendez found that there was little difference among the eating habits of the different families in the communities; this is expected due to the geographical proximity of the communities and the narrow food selection on which they base their diet.

After meeting with the focal groups, Mendez chose one woman at random from each of the communities to further demonstrate the food preparation methods. Mendez would meet each of the three women in their homes and observe them preparing the most common dishes containing vitamin A–rich vegetables. Mendez recorded the quantities of the ingredients included in the dishes, as well as the utensils used, and the cooking time and temperature. She repeated this process with several dishes in each of the three communities.

The second phase of the study entailed determining vitamin A quantities for each of the dishes. Mendez arranged for these measurements to be recorded in the food lab at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala City. She made a special effort to preserve the food in its original state as it was transported and prepared for testing. As soon as the foods were prepared, Mendez sealed them in plastic bags then sent them in a cooler to Chiquimula, where they were liquefied. The samples were then frozen and sent to Guatemala City in refrigerated containers where they remained frozen until carotene levels were measured using a high performance liquid chromatographer.

Results

Through her work with the focal groups, Mendez learned that the women prepare the vegetables in broth porridge, or breaded in corn flour. They make broth most often, because of its low cost, small quantity of extra ingredients, and possibility for larger portions. The vegetables that the people in the communities eat most frequently grow locally, although they obtain others at the market. Tomatoes, carrots, onions, and cabbage are generally purchased at the market; however, because of their cost, they are consumed rarely and are generally served only as condiments instead of as main ingredients.

Table 1 displays the most common vegetables, their preparation, and the content of vitamin A available in each dish, according to the measurements recorded in the food laboratory at the University of San Carlos. These data indicate that the dishes containing chatate and hierba mora have the highest vitamin A levels. Furthermore, the chatate broth contains more vitamin A than the chatate porridge. Mendez attributes this to the different supplementary ingredients included in the dish. In contrast, Mendez found that the breaded loroco had low vitamin A levels, due to the small quantity of vegetables it contains.

From these data, Mendez concluded that the possibility of integrating sufficient levels of vitamin A into the diet of these community residents exists, using the resources already available. Based on the results of the tests completed at the University of San Carlos and the United States recommended daily allowances tables, Mendez estimated that the dishes containing chatate and hierba mora provide at least 28 percent of the vitamin A requirements for those over the age of 12, and 40 percent of the requirements for children (based on 200 gram and 60 gram servings, respectively). This presents the encouraging possibility that the people who live in Salitrón, Chancó, and Corral de Piedra can obtain sufficient dietary vitamin A.

Recommendations

The Benson Institute hopes to help provide long-term solutions to dietary deficiencies for the people in these rural communities of Salitrón, Corral de Piedra, and Chancó. As suggested by the Word Health Organization, the Institute attempts to help the people establish dietary habits that promote good nutrition. Ana Luisa Mendez’s study carries them one step further in this process because it allows assessment of the resources already available.

Based on her findings, Mendez made the following recommendations. First, she suggests that a program be established to promote the cultivation of chatate and hierba mora within the communities. In addition, she suggests increased consumption of all the vegetables analyzed in the study. Finally, she recommends further studies of the other nutrients available in the common foods of the area. Promoting foods that are already common in the area capitalizes on the nutritive aspects of a diet to which the people are already accustomed. Thus, chances for success in improving dietary habits and overall nutrition are greatly increased.

Works Cited

UNICEF (1998). Spotlight on vitamin A. State of World’s Children.

Available: http://gopher. unicef.org:70/00/cefdata/sowc98/spt0.3.txt [1998, December 1].

World Health Organization. Vitamin A deficiency.

Available: http://www.who.int/gpv-dvacc/diseases/vitamin_a.html [1998, December 1].