Introduction:
Vitamin A is essential for visual health, immunity, and fetal development. Vitamin A deficiency can cause vision loss in the form of night blindness and increase children's threat of illness and death from infections like infectious measles and diarrhea. Pregnant women are commonly susceptible to vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy, and the sensitivity is highest in the third trimester of pregnancy due to the accelerated development of the fetus and the physiological increase in blood volume during this period. Pregnant women should be encouraged to obtain adequate nutrition, which is best achieved through a healthy and balanced diet. Vitamin A during pregnancy is important for the child's growing organs, like eyes and bones, as well as the blood, respiratory system, and central nervous system. Large doses of preformed vitamin A can cause birth defects.
Why Is Vitamin A Required During Pregnancy?
Vitamin A is a type of fat-soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver in significant amounts. Vitamin A is essential for the fetus's embryonic growth, essentially the growth of the heart, lungs, kidneys, eyes, bones, as well as the circulatory, respiratory, and peripheral nervous connections. Vitamin A is especially important for women giving birth because it helps repair tissues after childbirth. It also helps maintain normal vision, fight infections, elevate the immune system, and aid in fat metabolism.
Vitamin A has two forms: preformed vitamin A and provitamin A carotenoids. The produced vitamin A (also known as retinol) is used directly by the body and is available in non-vegetarian products such as eggs, milk, and liver. Provitamin A carotenoids (such as beta-carotene) are available in fruits and vegetables, and the body is required to convert this type into retinol.
How Much Vitamin A Pregnant Women Need?
Pregnant women 18 years and younger: 750 micrograms (mcg) RAE per day.
Lactating women aged 18 and younger: 1,200 mcg RAE per day.
Lactating women 19 years and older: 1,300 mcg RAE per day.
The standard for measuring vitamin A is RAE (retinol activity equivalents), which is dependent on the strength and origin of vitamin A. One microgram (mcg) of retinol (preformed vitamin A) equals one microgram RAE but requires 12 micrograms of beta-carotene or 24 micrograms of alpha-carotene to equal one microgram RAE.
Is It Possible to Have Too Much Vitamin A During Pregnancy?
The average American diet is rich in vitamin A. It is available in the form of pre-made vitamin A or retinol from meat, dairy products, fish, eggs, and fortified cereals. It is also present in the majority of fruits and vegetables, commonly in the form of carotenoids.
During pregnancy, it is essential not to get a lot of preformed vitamin A, which can become the foundation of birth defects and hepatic or liver toxicity in significant amounts. Women aged 19 and older, whether or not pregnant or lactating, should receive less than 3,000 mcg RAE of preformed vitamin A from additional sources, non-vegetarian sources, and natural foods each day. For women aged between 14 and 18, the upper ingestion limit is 2,800 mcg RAE.
This is one reason why it is essential not to exceed the prenatal vitamins or take any alternatives without consulting the healthcare physician. Most prenatal vitamins carry a required amount of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. One more thing is the risk of birth defects from too much vitamin A, which is why pregnant ladies and ladies trying to get pregnant should abstain from prescription of Isotretinoin and other retinol (vitamin A compound) drugs, including topical tretinoin used for skin conditions.
What Are the Best Foods Containing Vitamin A to Be Consumed During Pregnancy?
Beta-carotene-rich fruits and vegetables (especially oranges and yellow and leafy greens) are the best sources of provitamin A. Women should probably also get a decent amount of ready-made vitamin A from fortified milk and cereal. Here are some good food sources of vitamin A:
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One baked sweet potato with skin: 1403 mcg RAE.
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4 ounces frozen spinach, cooked: 573 mcg RAE.
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4 ounces carrots, raw: 459 mcg RAE.
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8 ounces of vanilla soft serve ice cream: 278 mcg RAE.
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8 ounces of ricotta cheese, partially fat-free: 263 mcg RAE.
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8 ounces of milk, fat-free or fat-free, fortified with vitamins A and D: 149 mcg RAE.
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4 ounces cantaloupe: 135 mcg RAE.
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4 ounces sweet red pepper: 117 mcg RAE.
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One whole mango: 112 mcg RAE.
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One serving of cereal with an added percentage of the routine value of vitamin A: 90 mcg RAE.
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One large hard-boiled egg: 75 mcg RAE.
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4 ounces of broccoli, cooked: 60 mcg RAE.
Both food processing (such as chopping, grating, or juicing) and cooking can facilitate the body's absorption of provitamin A carotenoids. Eating a small quantity of fat results in more absorption of vitamin A.
Is Vitamin A Supplement Required During Pregnancy?
Maybe not: It is usually not advised to take additional Vitamin A during pregnancy. The majority of people get an abundance of vitamin A from their diet, and placental vitamins are also rich in vitamin A.
Vitamin A Deficiency in Pregnancy:
Because it is not difficult to obtain enough vitamin A from the diet, vitamin A deficiencies in the United States are rarely reported, except as a result of some medical issues. Deficiency symptoms include a weakened immune system and impaired night vision. Night blindness, or the inability to see in low light, is the most common symptom of vitamin A deficiency in pregnant women. This condition is called xerophthalmia, and it causes dryness and thickening of the cornea.
Conclusion:
According to the most recent research, pregnant women's and their baby’s health depends critically on maintaining optimal amounts of vitamin A during pregnancy. The current guideline is that vitamin A supplementation be saved for populations with severe deficiencies of this micronutrient during the prenatal period in order to prevent night blindness. The frequency and duration of vitamin A administration during pregnancy require more study. It is advised to use caution when administering excessive doses of vitamin A, and it is even harmful to consume foods high in vitamin A, such as liver.
