American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 30, 1473-1477, Copyright © 1977 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

The impact of infection on vitamin metabolism: an unexplored area

JJ Vitale

Very little work has been done to answer the question: What is the effect of an infectious process on vitamin metabolism? The few studies that have been done would indicate that in the acute phase of an infection there is a redistribution of vitamins as well as other nutrients; these changes can be interpreted as indicating an adaptive and perhaps beneficial response of the host in meeting the challenges imposed by the infectious agent. It is accepted that chronic infection may lead to nutrient depletion, but it is not clear that in the normal healthy individual the administration of vitamins during an acute infections is of any benefit. One can certainly argue that during the infectious process the administration of vitamins and perhaps other nutrients could conceivably afford some protection were the infectious process to continue for some time. This raises other questions concerning the effects of chronic infection and whether or not they occur in well or malnourished individuals.