New variety of Golden Rice with improved levels of beta-carotene
Could help overcome vitamin A deficiency in poor countries.
29/03/05 A study study published in the April issue of Nature Biotechnology details the development of a new variety of Golden Rice that contains approximately 23 times more beta-carotene or “pro-vitamin A” than the original Golden Rice variety. The human body converts beta-carotene to Vitamin A.
The Golden Rice Board is encouraging further research to determine how the new variety may play a part in the ongoing global effort to fight vitamin A deficiency in poor countries. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children.
According to the World Health Organization, dietary vitamin A deficiency (VAD) causes some 250,000 to 500,000 children to go blind each year. More than half those who lose their sight die within a year. VAD compromises the immune systems of approximately 40 percent of children under five in the developing world, greatly increasing the risk of severe illnesses from common childhood infections. VAD is most severe in Southeast Asia and Africa.
