Recent study has postulated that if a pregnant woman takes low level of vitamin A then the probability of giving birth to an infant with small kidneys is more. A study performed on animal proposed the vitamin A, or retinol is directly proportional to the development of kidney tubules called nephrons. The reports have also linked size of kidney at birth with high blood pressure in later life. As reported in the journal Pediatric Nephrology, 48 women from Montreal and 46 from Bangalore, India with uncomplicated pregnancies were enrolled in the study. Nutritional status and blood retinol levels were assessed between 10 and14 weeks, 20 and 28 weeks, and 32 and 36 weeks. Kidney size in the newborns was determined within 2 days of birth using ultrasound. The scientists discovered that retinol levels were lower in the Bangalore group with relative to Montreal group. At the same time, they found that the infants in Bangalore had smaller kidneys than their counterparts in Montreal. Animal studies too have proved that fetal kidney development depends on a chemical derived from vitamin A passed from the mother to the fetus.
