Vitamin A, also called retinol, is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for vision, reproduction, immunity, development, and growth and improves the health of other organs. Vitamin A deficiency leads to childhood blindness that is avoidable and may lead to death due to diarrhea, a childhood illness.
Causes of vitamin A deficiency
Among developing countries, the deficiency of vitamin A is common, and the primary reasons include
* Maternal deficiency
Mothers with vitamin A deficiency produce breast milk which is deficient in vitamin A, which leads to childhood vitamin A deficiency.
* Dietary deficiency
Inadequate dietary intake of vitamin A or fat malabsorption leads to serious health issues.
* Childhood illness
Children who remain sick during their childhood may be the reason for vitamin A deficiency among them. Malabsorption, diarrhea, and anorexia cause poor vitamin A absorption among children as the body cannot use it properly.
Symptoms
Deficiency may lead to the following health risks
* Xerophthalmia
* Night blindness
* Pneumonia
* Infections such as diarrhea and measles
Tips to overcome vitamin A deficiency:
* Vitamin A supplement
A high-dose vitamin A supplement that is low-cost and proven as an intervention to overcome vitamin A deficiency is required.
* Breastfeeding
Mother milk is the best source of vitamin A to fulfill the child’s needs during their early time.
* Food fortification
The best way to overcome the deficiency among children is to introduce them to fortified foods with Vitamin A. These foods include:
* Breakfast cereals
* Bread
* cereal grains
* crackers
* Introduce Colorful foods
Make your child eat various foods with various colors, such as orange, red, yellow, and dark green, which contain carotenoids to avoid Vitamin A deficiency.
* Introduce fruits to children rich in Vitamin A, such as Mango, papaya, cantaloupe, orange, and apricots.
* Some vegetables include pumpkin, carrots, spinach, kale, broccoli, sweet potato, etc.
* Encourage a Balance diet
Introduce an excellent balanced, adequate diet that must include all macro and micro nutrients required for proper absorption of vitamin A. The recommended dose of vitamin A among children of age above 12 months is 200,000 IU every four-six months.
* Provide the best Animal source
Introduce the best source of vitamin A from animal sources such as; milk, cheese, eggs, liver, oily fish, chicken, and yogurt, especially to non-vegetarians to avoid vitamin A deficiency among them.
* Educate Children
Teach children to eat a well-balanced diet and the importance of nutrients, such as the role of vitamin A in maintaining a healthy body.
Conclusion:
Vitamin A is not made in the body, so it must be obtained from our daily foods. Fat-soluble retinoids are crucial for reproduction, strong immunity, healthy skin, cell growth, communication, and development. In addition, vitamin A is vital for proper eye function, heart, liver, and lungs.
Liver tests can assess vitamin A deficiency as most vitamin A is stored in the liver.
Vitamin A deficiency can cause weak immunity, make children prone to infection, and cause serious eye diseases. Weakness can occur due to malabsorption, disease, inadequate dietary intake, and poor maternal nutrition. Therefore, it is essential to make children eat balanced diets containing all the nutrients that Vitamin A requires for its absorption
to overcome the deficiency of vitamin A.
Encourage Vitamin A supplements among children and mothers severely deficient in vitamin A.