Vitamins A and E for children: symptoms of lack, instructions for use in drops

1. Vitamin A Benefits
2. Vitamin E Benefits
3. Rules of application
4. Vitamin A
5. Vitamin E
6. What threatens the lack of vitamins?
7. Vitamin A deficiency
8. Lack of vitamin E
9. Is there a surplus?

Vitamins A and E are necessary for our body, especially children need them. Retinol (the name of vitamin A) takes part in the development of the baby before birth - it promotes strong immunity, helps the placenta to grow with the fetus and adjusts the proper functioning of the internal organs of the mother. It is produced from beta-carotene in the small intestine. Vitamin E (tocopherol) cares for cell regeneration, helps to remove inflammation of tissues and organs. This antioxidant is good for the heart and essential for muscles. Tocopherol is fat soluble, its main reserves are in the adipose tissue of our body.

To understand exactly why a child needs vitamins A and E, it is worth more to consider their properties. In addition, we will find out in which products there are enough of these substances, how to use them correctly in order to increase efficiency.

Vitamin A Benefits

• promotes good vision;
• restores the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, stomach, intestines;
• takes part in the activation of bone growth;
• normalizes the work of digestion;
• supports immunity, reduces the likelihood of viral diseases;
• necessary as a stimulant and regulator of the body's hormonal activity.

Maintain the necessary balance of vitamin A in the body can, if you regularly eat foods in which it is present. The list is quite long:

• vegetables: carrots, pumpkin, broccoli, sorrel, celery, tomatoes;
• fruits: oranges, tangerines, mangoes, apricots;
• dairy products: cream, milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese and butter;
• liver - cod, beef, chicken, pork;
• chum salmon;
• fish oil (more in the article: liquid fish oil for children ).

Important: during the heat treatment of products from them takes almost 15% of this substance. To enhance the digestibility of the rest, it is advisable to add foods rich in vitamin E to dishes.

Vitamin E Benefits

Tocopherol capsules are often prescribed to women, especially during pregnancy, but it is also needed by babies. Along with ascorbic acid, this substance helps the body to cope with viral diseases and colds faster. It is prescribed the drug as an immunomodulatory agent, and is also used as part of therapy aimed at increasing the body weight of infants whose weight is below standard indicators.

Assign vitamin E can only doctor, choosing the optimal dose and release form. It is especially important to correctly calculate the required amount of the drug in case it is prescribed to the newborn.

If you exceed the norm, possible side effects:

• nausea, vomiting;
• diarrhea;
• headache and fatigue;
• hormonal changes;
• fall of sight.

However, with the right approach, this substance will not cause health problems. To replenish the supply of vitamin E in the body, without worrying about regular intake of capsules or tablets, you can enter into your diet these foods:

• apricots - fresh and dried, sea buckthorn, wild rose;
• fish: herring, salmon, pike perch;
• beef and beef liver;
• nuts and legumes;
• eggs;
• milk, sour cream;
• unrefined vegetable oil;
• germinated grains of wheat or other cereals.

Like retinol, this substance is only partially resistant to heat treatment, and in the finished dish it is much less than in the raw. Even less tocopherol in products that have been subjected to long-term storage, as it disappears under the influence of light and air.

Rules of application

According to recent research by scientists, it is very difficult for a modern child to be fully provided with vitamins, if you rely only on a balanced diet. Balanced at first glance, the menu as a result can lead to a deficiency of nutrients in 20 or even 30%.

It is possible to provide the child's body with the necessary amount of vitamins A and E with the help of pharmaceutical products. However, it is important to understand that children's drugs are different from “adult” dosage. The form of release does not matter - you can use vitamins in drops, in the form of tablets, in capsules. Typically, the manufacturer supplies children's drugs with a special dispenser - a pipette, a measuring spoon, so it is easy to measure the required amount.

When and how best to offer a child vitamins, what dose can be given to a baby, depending on his age? Almost any vitamins are absorbed more efficiently until 2 pm - after the awakening the metabolism is the most active. If we are talking about babies, drops can be given to the baby along with milk during the morning or afternoon feeding.

Vitamin A

Age: mg (milligram): mcg (micrograms): MO (international units): 0-6 months 0.4 400 1333 7-12 months 0.5 500 1667 12 months-3 years 0.3 300 1000

Different manufacturers use different units of calculation - milligrams, micrograms or MO (international units). The table shows all the options for the standard dose of the drug in relation to the age of the baby. However, a pediatrician may prescribe a different treatment option and a different dosage - prophylactic or therapeutic. In this case, parents are obliged to study the instructions for use, before starting therapy.

Vitamin E

Tocopherol can be given to newborns - it is sold not only in capsules, but also in an oil solution. Up to ½ year dose of this drug - once a day, 5 drops (3 milligrams). Older children should already be given 4 milligrams. This portion remains relevant until the baby reaches 2-3 years. Pediatricians recommend taking this vitamin before meals.

Vitamin E for children is sometimes available in chewable lozenges or in capsules. The latter are suitable for preschoolers who can easily swallow a capsule.

It is important to pay attention to the labels and warnings on the packaging of drugs. The instructions for use of the drug are described in more detail contraindications and age of use.

What threatens the lack of vitamins?

Vitamin deficiencies or hypovitaminosis are a dangerous condition for a child’s body. It occurs infrequently, but you need to be able to notice the atypical manifestations of the baby’s behavior and contact a specialist in time. What is missing in the child's body? What symptoms may indicate hypovitaminosis of vitamins A and E? Consider these signs and how to determine them in more detail.

Vitamin A deficiency

Retinol is able to remain in the tissues - with a non-systematic admission the body will independently adjust its balance. Sometimes the lack of this substance is so significant that the body begins to signal a problem. Vitamin A for children is necessary, to make sure that the child receives it is not possible on some grounds:

• The height and weight of the baby is below normal.
• The child is often sick, in the risk zone - the upper respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract.
• The skin is dry, scaly, possible cracks on the heels. Inflamed areas of skin appear on the stomach, knees, buttocks, the baby complains of itching.

• Hair becomes dry, does not shine and falls out.
• Mucous membranes (mouth, inner surfaces of eyelids, nasal passages) look unhealthy - erosions appear, ulcers.
• The correct work of the lacrimal canals is disturbed, a “dry eye syndrome” appears - the luster disappears, the eyes itch and bake. There may be frequent eye infections, in particular, conjunctivitis. In early infancy, vitamin A deficiency can cost a baby's vision — the cornea becomes thinner, leading to a perforation of the eyeball.

If there is a suspicion of a lack of vitamin A, you should immediately consult with a pediatrician. Perhaps the doctor will prescribe intramuscular injections of the drug, or recommend taking it in the form of drops, if the child is less than 2 years old.

Typically, retinol must be prescribed only to those children who are often sick and lagging behind in development. In other cases, the recommendations of the doctor may be different.

Lack of vitamin E

Vitamin E is required for use by the child only if there is evidence. Usually, a pediatrician prescribes a series of examinations: blood tests, urine tests that will most accurately highlight the problem. This is necessary because the external symptoms - dry skin, poor sleep and appetite, irritability, may indicate a lack of this vitamin, and hypovitaminosis in general (see also: What to do if a child in 5 years has dry skin? ).

Before making recommendations, a good doctor will ask the parents questions about the circumstances of the birth of the child - whether it was full term, whether there were no birth complications. If a baby is about one year old, the pediatrician will find out if the baby is breastfed or breastfed, and also check the maturity of a spring. Some drugs contribute to the rapid closure of the opening in the skull in children, which is not always desirable. In addition, important factors are:

• body weight of the child;
• probability of anemia;
• genetic blood disorders;
• eye disease;
• other individual features of a small patient.

Pediatricians claim that an infant is fully provided with vitamin E from mother's milk. However, a nursing woman should pay special attention to her nutrition - make sure that her menu is varied and balanced. Artificial mixes are also enriched with vitamins necessary for proper infant development. Usually, you only need to reconsider the nutrition of the mother and the child in order to protect the baby from possible hypovitaminosis.

If the doctor decided to prescribe vitamin E, he should warn about the features of taking this drug. In particular, the drug should not be taken together with iron-containing agents, otherwise none of them will fulfill its function. It is necessary to sustain a gap of 2 hours between the reception of both.

Is there a surplus?

In rare cases, hypervitaminosis may occur, especially if you take the vitamins uncontrollably. What is the danger of this condition and what are its characteristic features? An overabundance of retinol (vitamin A) can manifest itself with rather dangerous symptoms:

• hydrocephalus (an increase in the size of the cranium due to fluid accumulation);
• swelling of the fontanel, as well as its ripple;
• nausea, increased urination, rash and sweating.

Hypervitaminosis E is characterized by general weakness, dizziness and nausea. In addition, other symptoms are possible:

• retinal hemorrhage;
• diarrhea;
• reduced immunity;
• high blood pressure;
• violation of the nervous system.

As you can see, the lack of vitamins A and E is as dangerous as the excess of them. The question of additional medication intake should be resolved only with a doctor. It is the specialist who will tell you if the child needs to undergo a course of treatment and what is the optimal dosage of the vitamin. Remember that good parents are obliged to make informed decisions on matters relating to the health of their child.

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