Can you take Vitamin A when you’re pregnant?
Today, let's explore the safety and advantages of eating organ meats, especially vitamin A, during pregnancy. Join us for an informative journey into the realm of nutrition for expecting mothers!
Vitamin A and Accutane:
Let's break it down: Some people think a type of vitamin A, called isotretinoin in a medicine called Accutane, caused problems for pregnant women. But that form of vitamin A is not the same as the one in our food, which is actually good for pregnancy.
Natural vitamin A is like a superhero for pregnancy. It helps your baby's eyes, brain, kidneys, heart, and lungs grow. It's crucial for developing the nervous, circulatory, and respiratory systems in your baby.
There's debate about how much vitamin A is safe during pregnancy. To be on the safe side, experts suggest avoiding too much synthetic vitamin A, especially more than 10,000 IU per day, before and during pregnancy.
Sadly, many prenatal supplements removed vitamin A because of worries, causing deficiencies. This is a bigger issue for people on plant-based diets since the active form of vitamin A is mostly in animal products.
Symptoms of Vitamin A deficiency:
1) Night Blindness: Difficulty seeing in low-light conditions or at night is a classic sign of vitamin A deficiency. If you struggle to navigate in dimly lit areas, it may indicate low vitamin A levels.
2) Dry and Rough Skin: Vitamin A is essential for healthy skin. A deficiency can cause dry, rough skin prone to rashes or bumps. If your skin lacks its natural glow and feels parched, consider checking your vitamin A levels.
3) Weak Immune Function: Vitamin A boosts the immune system. A shortage can weaken your immunity, making you more vulnerable to infections, especially in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. Frequent colds and respiratory issues may suggest a deficiency.
4) Delayed Wound Healing: Vitamin A is crucial for efficient tissue repair. If your wounds or injuries take longer than usual to heal, it could be a sign of insufficient vitamin A in your body.
5) Brittle Hair and Nails: Inadequate vitamin A levels may lead to brittle, dry hair and weak, breakable nails. Monitoring the condition of your hair and nails can provide insights into your overall health.
6) Poor Growth in Children: Vitamin A is vital for the growth and development of children. A deficiency can impede their growth, resulting in stunted height and weight gain.
Vitamin A and Iron deficiency:
Now, let's explore how vitamin A can assist in preventing iron deficiency.
Iron is a crucial mineral responsible for producing red blood cells and transporting oxygen in your body. Insufficient intake of iron-rich foods or difficulties in iron absorption can lead to iron deficiency anemia, marked by low levels of hemoglobin in the blood.
Enter vitamin A, the superhero sidekick in this scenario. Vitamin A actively participates in iron metabolism, optimising its utilisation in your body. Here's a simple breakdown:
Enhancing iron absorption: Vitamin A improves the absorption of nonheme iron, the type found in plant-based foods. This enhancement ensures that more iron enters your bloodstream, becoming available for essential bodily functions.
Supporting iron storage: Vitamin A helps store iron properly in your body. It mobilises iron from storage sites, like the liver, and transports it to areas where it's needed, such as the bone marrow for red blood cell production.
Promoting red blood cell production: Iron is crucial for producing red blood cells, and vitamin A supports this process by ensuring effective iron utilisation in forming healthy red blood cells.
By working together, vitamin A and iron maintain optimal iron levels, preventing iron deficiency. It's a beautiful partnership where vitamin A maximises the benefits of iron, ensuring efficient utilisation.
How much Vitamin A should we have:
Now, here's a fun fact to ease your worries about vitamin A in food causing birth defects. Ready? There are zero documented reports of such cases! Even if we were to be ultra-cautious and consider the recommended limit of 10,000 IU, you'd need to gobble down a whopping 60 grams of liver, which is rich in Vitamin A, every day or around 400 grams per week. Now, hold on a minute! Liver, with its intense flavor, tends to be a self-limiting food. Trust me, your taste buds will likely set the boundaries before you come close to reaching that threshold.
Should you be worried about Vitamin A:
The studies suggesting vitamin A toxicity during pregnancy focused on high doses, like 25,000 IU, in the synthetic form, not the natural form.
In supplements, vitamin A is typically measured in IU (international units). If it's the natural form from beta carotene, up to 15,000 IU is considered safe.
When your vitamin A levels are low, the conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A increases. However, if you already have enough vitamin A, this conversion is much lower. So, when you get vitamin A from beta carotene, there's no risk of toxicity because the body self-regulates, making it a very safe vitamin.
Final words:
Dear expecting mums, relax and ensure you're getting all the necessary vitamins and minerals!
During pregnancy, vitamin A is crucial. The risk comes with excessive doses or synthetic forms (like retinyl palmitate or retinyl acetate), not with the natural beta carotene at 1500 IU found in the Daily Essential Formula, the same kind in carrots and sweet potatoes.
If you follow a plant-based diet, you might lack some vital nutrients. Safely supplement with the Daily Essential Formula, which includes 28g of organic pea protein and all essential vitamins and minerals, including safe, natural, and absorbable Vitamin A!
Rest assured, the Daily Essential Formula is not just safe but recommended for pregnant women.
