Vitamin A causes birth defects: Experts explain how?

The human body can only function properly when it is supplemented with the necessary nutrients. However, on mother and baby groups, rumors spread that "Vitamin A causes birth defects" made many mothers bewildered. So what's the problem with this?

Pregnant women during pregnancy need twice as much nutrients as normal people to provide for the development of their babies. However, how to supplement nutrients depends on the body's condition and needs. In the article below, let's find out if vitamin A causes birth defects and how to supplement vitamin A correctly! 

The role of vitamin A in pregnancy 

Vitamin A is the most important mineral, playing an important role in the development of pregnancy. Thanks to vitamin A, mother and baby will receive great benefits such as: 

• For pregnant mothers: Vitamin A helps mothers increase resistance, prevent infections and repel gynecological diseases that affect the health of both mother and baby. 
• With the fetus: Vitamin A helps children develop comprehensively physically. The skeletal system will become stronger, the organs will be fully formed in function and shape. In addition, vitamin A also promotes children's eyesight to be brighter and healthier. 

Vitamin A stimulates the mother's immune system to work more effectively 

Is vitamin A causing birth defects true or false?

Vitamin A, if taken improperly, can increase the risk of birth defects. This claim was published in the journal Pubmed that: Pregnant women who consume more than 10,000 mcg/day are more likely to give birth to babies with birth defects such as:

• Cleft palate, cleft palate affect the aesthetics and ability to speak of children.
• Hydrocephalus disrupts the balance of CSF formation and absorption. 
• Heart-related defects such as heart valve regurgitation , lack of septum, etc.
• Children with reduced or lost fertility at birth, such as no uterus, sperm defects, etc.
• Visual disturbances, night blindness, blindness, congenital poor eyesight.

Thus, it can be seen that using vitamin A in excess of the necessary dose can cause birth defects in the fetus.

How to detect pregnant mothers with excess vitamin A? 

Just like vitamin A deficiency, an excess of vitamin A in the body also manifests itself with specific symptoms. If you suspect that you have an excess of this substance, you can base on the following factors: 

• Chapped lips, weak hair, dry skin. 
• Reduced eyesight.
• Increased pressure on the skull, causing severe headaches. 
• Weak bones that break easily.

Hair loss is the first warning sign of an excess of vitamin A

Consequences when pregnant mothers have too much vitamin A

Excess vitamin A is really something that pregnant women need to be very concerned about. The reason is that this phenomenon can cause many unpredictable consequences such as: 

• Dry eyes, blurred vision, dry skin and acne breakouts . 
• Subclinical disorders such as changes in cell differentiation ability, decreased iron metabolism, decreased immune response.
• Clinical disorders such as growth retardation, increased morbidity, anemia, eye diseases such as corneal ulceration, night blindness, corneal molluscum contagiosum.
• Serious fetal abnormalities, early embryonic death.
• Associated with gestational diabetes.

How to treat excess vitamin A? 

The treatment of excess vitamin A will be easily remedied when detected early. Therefore, when you find yourself suffering from the above symptoms, you should apply the following methods to limit the risk from excess vitamin A. Specifically: 

• Immediately stop using oral supplements and vitamin A supplements. 
• Limit excessive consumption of foods rich in vitamin A such as: Fish oil, animal liver, potatoes, carrots, ... 
• In case the mother's poisoning is too severe, the abnormal signs cannot go away on their own after 1-2 weeks, you should visit directly at a reputable medical facility for timely examination and treatment. Doctors will prescribe medication to suppress excess vitamin A. 

 Vitamin A causes birth defects if too much

How to properly supplement vitamin A? 

Vitamin A supplements are very good, but still need to follow a certain ratio. If you are still wondering, you can refer to the following guidelines for safe vitamin A supplementation: 

Proper dosage control

Pregnant women should only consume 800mcg of vitamin A/day. At the same time, it is not recommended to add a large amount at once but should be divided into many small meals throughout the day through foods such as: Sweet potatoes, beef liver, carrots, kale, dark yellow oranges, spinach , watermelon,... 

Supplement at the right time 

Although oral tablets and functional foods are very good, they should only be used when diagnosed with vitamin A deficiency. It is best for pregnant women to take them as prescribed by the doctor and drink after eating because this nutrient is highly soluble. in fat. 

Do not combine many drugs with vitamin A

Vitamin A can interact with drugs that reduce absorption or increase the effect of drugs such as cholestyramine, neomycin, isotretinoin, liquid paraffin. At that time, the above drugs may lose their effectiveness in treating the disease or the pregnant woman may be poisoned, leading to vomiting, coma, diarrhea or stillbirth. 

Therefore, pregnant women should inform the doctor about the drugs they are taking, and avoid using the combination of the above drugs with vitamin A.

The above article must have brought readers useful knowledge about vitamin A supplementation. In fact, vitamin A causes fetal malformations only appear when pregnant mothers take an overdose, causing an imbalance of nutrients in the body. body.