The role of vitamin A and correct doses for children

When it comes to vitamin A, parents know it is linked to eyesight, helping the eyes see clearly in low light. Vitamin A also supports growth and immunity, helping children develop normally and preventing stunting and malnutrition. Vitamin A also protects the integrity of the corneal epithelium, the skin's epithelium and the lining of the small intestine.

Vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness and blindness in children, or lead to respiratory and digestive disorders; the body's mucus production is affected, and the skin becomes dry and keratinised.

Foods rich in vitamin A fall into 2 types. Vitamin A can be provided directly as retinol from animal foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, butter..., or indirectly as vitamin A precursors (carotenoids) from orange, deep red and dark green plant foods such as gac fruit, carrots, pumpkin, katuk leaves, broccoli... Once in the body, these precursors are converted into retinol in the liver

As well as getting vitamin A from food, you can give it as capsules; in the first 3 years of life in particular, children need high-dose vitamin A. Currently, the government runs 2 rounds of high-dose vitamin A a year for children to prevent vitamin A deficiency. High-dose vitamin A is given every 6 months to children under 3 as follows

Children aged 6 - 12 months: 100,000 IU

Children aged 12 to 36 months: 200,000 IU

Children under 5 with an acute infection such as diarrhoea, measles... are given 1 preventive dose of vitamin A.

Note: Vitamin A dissolves only in fat, so your child's diet needs to include oil or fat to absorb vitamin A better.

Reference:

Nutrition, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Phạm Ngọc Thạch University of Medicine, page 41