Vitamin A supplementation in early life affects later response to an obesogenic diet in rats

This paper reports that rats that are given excess vitamin A (three times normal requirement) in early life become more obese than control animals when given a high-fat diet later in life. Although this is an animal study, it is worth considering the implications for humans. Some children are given extra vitamins in early life and modern civilization provides a high fat, obesogenic environment throughout life. Further research in humans is needed to identify individuals who were given excess vitamin A in early life to determine if they are at higher risk of subsequent obesity.