Vitamin A is among the nutrients that have been found to be deficient in some patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
A study published in Hepato-Gastroenterology (1991; 38:391–395) compared 32 patients with inflammatory bowel disease—17 with Crohn’s disease and 15 with ulcerative colitis—with healthy controls. Serum retinol (vitamin A) levels and retinol-binding protein levels were both significantly lower in patients with IBD than in healthy individuals.
Among patients with ulcerative colitis who responded successfully to treatment, vitamin A levels returned to normal even without direct vitamin A supplementation. Similarly, vitamin A levels normalized in patients with Crohn’s disease when the disease was inactive.
