In this article, the investigators examined a subgroup of children whose mothers had participated in a trial of prenatal vitamin A supplementation that was performed in an area of Nepal where traditionally there is suboptimal nutrition. The lung function of children whose mothers had received vitamin A supplementation during pregnancy was 2 to 3% better than that of children whose mothers had received placebo. The lung function of Nepalese children whose mothers had received vitamin A supplementation during pregnancy was 2 to 3% better than that of children whose mothers had received placebo. Vitamin A deficiency affects 190 million preschool-aged children and 19 million pregnant women worldwide. 1 It is the underlying cause of 650,000 early childhood deaths 2 and has become recognized as an important problem among women of reproductive age in many developing countries. Chronic vitamin A deficiency may increase the risks of complications and death during pregnancy and in the postpartum period 3 – 9 and, on the basis of evidence from studies in animals, may also adversely affect the embryonic and postnatal development of the offspring. 10 – 14 The importance of vitamin A in regulating growth through cell proliferation and differentiation was recognized early . . .