Fan brother guide:
Vitamin A and D are two very key nutrients in the growth and development of babies, which play an important role in improving immunity, bone development, and vision development. However, in the supplement of vitamin A and D, parents still have many questions, such as how to supplement vitamin A and D? When will it be made up? Do I need to supplement vitamins A and D together? Do I need to alternate vitamin AD with vitamin D...... Therefore, today Brother Fan will take you to see how to supplement these two nutrients!
At what age do you get vitamin A and D supplements?
As soon as the baby is born, the doctor will give advice on vitamin A and D supplementation according to the specific situation, but how long should I continue to supplement after that? At what age? This is something that many parents can't figure out.
In the infant and toddler period, parents tend to have a strong awareness of nutritional supplementation, so the baby's vitamin A and D supplement rate at this stage is relatively high. However, as the baby grows up and begins to eat complementary foods after 6 months, or completely adds adult meals, many parents tend to ignore their children's vitamin A and D supplements.
In recent years, the survey results show that the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in children aged 0-12 in mainland China is 5.16%, and the marginal deficiency rate is 24.29%. Among them, the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency and borderline deficiency in children under 5 years old was 9.23%, and the proportion of borderline deficiency increased with age. At the same time, the nutritional status of vitamin D is not ideal, vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are more common among children aged 0-18 years in mainland China, among which the deficiency rate is 21.57% and the deficiency rate is 28.71%, and the detection rate of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in children under 7 years old is 14.0%, and gradually increases with age.
Based on the nutritional status of vitamins A and D, the latest "Expert Consensus on the Clinical Application of Vitamin A and Vitamin D in Chinese Children" (hereinafter referred to as the "Expert Consensus") released by the mainland in 2024 proposes that vitamin A and D supplementation for children over 3 years old should be paid attention to, and the age of supplementation should be adjusted to: It is recommended to supplement until puberty!
So, when should vitamins A and D be supplemented? The answer is not 1 year old, nor 2 years old, but from the birth of the child to adolescence, that is, 18 years old~
Why are vitamins A and D so important?
What does it mean that the age limit for vitamin A and D supplementation has been raised? It is mainly because nutritional supplementation in the early part of life plays a key role in people's health throughout their lives. Vitamin A and D are two nutrients that are essential for growth and development, and their deficiency will have many effects on the baby!
1. What are the effects of vitamin A deficiency?
Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is a fat-soluble vitamin, which has antioxidant and detoxification effects, and it has the functions of maintaining scotopic vision, maintaining the integrity of the skin, mucous membranes and other tissue surfaces, as well as promoting growth and development, enhancing immune function, and maintaining reproductive function. Vitamin A deficiency can have many effects on your baby, such as:
(1) Visual impairment: When the baby's vision is not fully developed, the lack of vitamin A will affect its vision development, and if it is seriously deficient, it may also lead to some irreversible eye diseases, such as dry eye syndrome, keratitis, and even blindness!
(2) Decreased immunity: tretinoin is an indispensable substance for the development of children's immune system, and vitamin A is the precursor of tretinoin, so babies who lack vitamin A are often more likely to be infested by pathogens, and the probability of problems such as pneumonia, gastrointestinal diseases and urticaria is higher.
(3) Hindered growth and development: vitamin A has an important impact on early bone development, so a lack of vitamin A may lead to problems such as stunted growth and slow growth of height and weight in babies.
2. What are the effects of vitamin D deficiency?
Like vitamin A, vitamin D is also a fat-soluble vitamin, which is not only the golden partner of calcium nutrition, can regulate calcium and phosphorus metabolism, prevent bone calcification, etc., but also plays an important role in human nervous system and immune regulation. The impact of vitamin D deficiency on babies is worth paying attention to in the following aspects:
(1) Bone dysplasia: vitamin D is a key nutrient to promote bone development, if the deficiency will cause the baby to have bone dysplasia, typical symptoms include bone pain, muscle weakness, bone deformity (such as leg bending) and growth retardation, severe cases may appear digestion, cardiopulmonary dysfunction and other problems.
(2) Increase the risk of disease: vitamin D plays an important role in many aspects of the immune system, if vitamin D is deficient, babies are more likely to have respiratory tract infections, intestinal infections, skin infections and other problems, and these problems may also affect the metabolism of vitamin D, which further leads to lower vitamin D levels, forming a vicious circle!
(3) Psychiatric and neurological symptoms: Vitamin D plays an important role in neuroimmune regulation and neurotransmission in the brain, so if vitamin D is deficient, it may affect the function of the nervous system, and the risk of psychoneurological symptoms such as low cognitive function and impaired social and emotional development is increased.
(4) Obesity: Vitamin D plays an important role in maintaining insulin secretion, so its deficiency will affect the body's blood sugar regulation, and obesity will occur.
(5) Allergies: Vitamin D deficiency may lead to an imbalance in the body's immune system, which will increase the risk of allergic diseases, such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, eczema, etc.
Seeing this, many parents must have felt the urgency of supplementing their babies with vitamins A and D. So, further, how to supplement these two nutrients to your baby?
How to supplement vitamin A and D?
Since vitamin A and D supplementation is something that must be done for a long time from the birth of a child to adolescence, parents must have wanted to do it quickly! Next, Brother Fan will give you a specific introduction, how to supplement vitamins A and D? And some questions that we have in the process of supplementing.
1. Vitamin A supplementation and prevention
In general, unless there are special circumstances, the recommended amount of vitamin A supplementation is:
0-1 years old→ 1500U/day
1~18岁→1500~2000U/天
If there are special circumstances such as preterm birth, low birth weight infants, multiple births, etc., the recommended supplementation amount is: 1500-2000U/day, and the first 3 months should be supplemented according to the upper limit, and the lower limit can be adjusted after 3 months.
It should be reminded that if the baby has diarrhea, iron deficiency anemia, malnutrition, etc., the amount of vitamin A supplementation should be adjusted according to the doctor's instructions, and it cannot be supplemented according to the usual situation!
In addition, in addition to the supplement of vitamin A preparations, parents can also adjust the baby's complementary food nutrition, such as increasing the proportion of animal food, that is, milk, eggs, animal offal, etc., and can also increase the intake of dark vegetables and fruits, such as pumpkin, carrots, broccoli, spinach, oranges, etc., these foods are rich in vitamin A, which is helpful for preventing vitamin A deficiency in babies.
2. Vitamin D supplementation and prevention
In the selection of vitamin D preparations, according to the recommendations of the "Expert Consensus", it is recommended to choose vitamin D3. To prevent rickets, the recommended amount of vitamin D supplementation is as follows:
出生后一周内→400~800U/天
0~1 years old→ 400U/day
1~18岁→400~800U/天
If there are special circumstances such as premature infants, low birth weight infants, and multiple births, the recommended supplementation amount is: 800U/day for the first 3 months of life and 400U/day after 3 months.
Similarly, if the baby has special conditions such as diarrhea, iron deficiency anemia, malnutrition, etc., the amount of vitamin D supplementation should be adjusted according to the doctor's advice.
In addition, for the high risk of vitamin deficiency or the situation that has been deficient, while insisting on supplementing the appropriate amount of nutrients every day, parents also need to do these three things, one is to ensure that the baby has enough time for outdoor activities; The second is to optimize the nutritional dietary intake, eat more calcium-rich foods, such as milk, dairy products, soy products, seafood, etc., and further strengthen vitamin D nutrition through food. Here, Brother Fan reminds you that when taking your baby to outdoor activities, you should pay attention to heatstroke prevention and sun protection measures!
3. Why take vitamin A and D supplements?
When supplementing vitamin A and D, vitamin A and D are often taken together. This is because in the vitamin family, vitamin A and vitamin D can be said to be a "natural pair!" "They are both fat-soluble vitamins that have synergistic effects on immune function, bone development, anemia prevention, and many other aspects! In addition, the presence of vitamin A can increase the activity of vitamin D by 130%! Therefore, vitamin A and vitamin D are supplemented together because these two nutrients can be supplemented at the same time to achieve twice the result with half the effort~
So should I choose AD drops or cod liver oil for supplementing vitamins A and D? I believe that many parents have struggled with this issue. In detail, cod liver oil is extracted from the liver of deep-sea fish, and in addition to the main components vitamin A and vitamin D, there are nutrients and other components contained in fish. The vitamin AD preparation is synthetic, the composition is generally single, only contains two nutrients vitamin A and D, the dosage is more clear, usually vitamin A and D are synthesized in a ratio of 3:1. Therefore, which type of product to choose can be considered according to the specific situation of the baby. In general, if the baby has a history of seafood allergy, it is recommended to choose AD preparations; If you want to supplement your baby with cod liver oil, you need to consider the ratio of two nutrients at different stages, for example, some cod liver oil has a 10:1 ratio of vitamin A and D, which is not suitable for infants and young children.
There are also mothers who may ask, since they need to be supplemented at the same time, is it alternate or interval? According to a study of infants aged 6 months, serum retinol levels were not improved by alternating vitamin A and D supplementation with vitamin D or vitamin D supplementation compared with continuous daily supplementation of vitamins A and D. Taking vitamin A and D supplements alternately or at intervals will lead to reduced medication compliance, increase the difficulty of taking the medication, and make it easy to miss and take the wrong dose. Daily continuous supplementation of vitamin A and D can prevent vitamin A deficiency, and daily supplementation of vitamin A 1500~2000U and vitamin D 400~800U is required.
4. Vitamin A and D supplements and other frequently asked questions
In addition to the above questions, Brother Fan further sorted out some frequently asked questions and answers about vitamin A and D supplements to answer your questions.
Q1: Does breastfed baby need vitamin A and D supplements?
A: Yes. The biological activity of vitamin A and D in breast milk is very good, but due to the diet and health of the lactating mother, its content is not able to meet the daily needs of infants, so breastfed babies need additional vitamin A and D supplements.
Q2: Do I need to supplement vitamin A and D for my baby who is fed with formula?
A: According to the incomplete statistics of the milk powder think tank, in the new national standard 3 milk powder, more than 70% of the products add vitamin D in 12~13μg/100g, according to 14g milk powder to prepare 100mL of milk to calculate, the baby's daily milk volume is about 700mL to meet the daily needs, if the milk amount cannot be reached, additional vitamin D needs to be supplemented. Vitamin A is rich in animal foods, dark vegetables and fruits, and is also fortified in milk powder.
Q3: Will long-term supplementation of vitamin A and D be toxic?
A: The daily supplementation of vitamin A and D adopted by the mainland is more suitable for the current situation in the mainland with marginal deficiency of vitamin A and vitamin D deficiency as the main epidemiological characteristics. The daily supplement dose is based on the daily physiological requirements recommended by the Chinese Nutrition Society, and preventive supplementation measures will not cause vitamin A and D poisoning
In short, seeing this, I believe everyone has the answer to the question at the beginning~ How old are vitamins A and D supplemented? The expert consensus recommends supplementing to adolescence! Therefore, parents should pay attention to it and give their children a scientific and appropriate amount of nutritional supplements to help them grow up healthily! Finally, if you have any other related nutrition questions, you can also leave a message for consultation, and Brother Fan will answer them for you!
Reference source: Chinese expert consensus on the clinical application of vitamin A and vitamin D in children (2024)[J].Chinese Journal of Child Health Care,2024,32(04):349-358+361.