§ Mr. Michael MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will identify the research or peer review journal which led to his Department's decision to recommend restricted consumption of liver and vitamin A supplements; and whether he has any plans to make the findings of this research more widely available.
§ Mr. DorrellA number of pieces of research contributed to the Department's decision. The major contributing factor was the increasing knowledge of the potential teratogenicity of vitamin A and growing evidence that the consumption of high amounts of vitamin A by pregnant women may be associated with birth defects in their babies. This information is reviewed in the following publications: Rosa FW, Wilk AL and Kelsey36W FO (1986) Teratology 33, 355–364; Biesalski HK (1989) Toxicology 57, 117–161 and Teratology Society position paper: "Recommendations for Vitamin A use during pregnancy" (1987) Teratology 35 269–275. Results of recent measurements of vitamin A levels in samples of domestic and imported liver on sale in the United Kingdom are quoted in the Department's press release of 18 October 1990, ref 90/507. Copies of these documents have been placed in the Library.