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Vitamin D is a vitamin that plays an important role in the formation and development of strong bones. This is also a good vitamin to help strengthen the immune system of children. However, vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, when taken in excess, it will not be eliminated by itself, but will accumulate in fat tissues in the body. In high concentrations, vitamin D can cause serious poisoning. Therefore, excess vitamin D supplementation in infants should be paid attention to, to avoid serious consequences.
1. Signs of excess vitamin D in infants
The signs of vitamin D excess in babies are often not obvious, so many parents are easily confused with other diseases.
When there is an excess of vitamin D in the newborn, it means that the calcium level in the blood will increase. At that time, calcium will be deposited in the kidneys and can cause damage to the kidneys. For people in adulthood, if there is an excess of vitamin D, it can be slowly released from the body. However, for infants and young children, the reason is that the child's body is still very sensitive, so it is easy to show serious signs.
When children or infants absorb too much vitamin D in the body, it is easy to cause vomiting, or thirst and urination more. At the same time, children may also experience loss of appetite, stop feeding, fatigue, or abdominal pain, constipation, pain in the limbs, bones and joints, and body weakness. These signs are similar to common diseases in children such as digestive disorders, constipation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, bone pain, fever, flu, crying a lot,... Therefore, parents need to take their children to the doctor for specific tests and find out the cause of the child's unwell body. The toxic effects of vitamin D excess in the neonate may persist for up to 2 months after eliminating the exogenous source of vitamin D.
2. Harm when excess vitamin D in infants
Vitamin D is very good for the health of children, but if too much vitamin D in babies is allowed, it will cause unwanted harm. Possible harms of excess vitamin D in infants:2.1 Children with excess vitamin D cause high blood calcium levels. If adequate vitamin D is provided, it plays a role in enhancing immunity and protecting children. reduce the risk of diseases such as osteoporosis and cancer. On average, higher than 125 nmol/L (50 mg/mL) is defined as infant vitamin D excess.
In addition, the normal level of calcium in the blood is 8.5 -10.2 mg/dl if an excess of vitamin D in a newborn baby can cause unpleasant and potentially dangerous symptoms, which can cause serious health problems. Various pathologies include:
Digestive disorders: vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and stomach pain. Tiredness, poor concentration, or dizziness and confusion. Urinate several times a day. See now: Harm of vitamin D excess or deficiency
2.2. Stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation Stomach pain, constipation or diarrhea are common consequences related to the digestive system of young children. The reason is that the child has a food intolerance or has irritable bowel syndrome. This is considered a consequence of the body having high calcium levels, vitamin D toxicity.
These symptoms are most common in cases of high doses of vitamin D supplementation or excess vitamin D in infants. These signs and symptoms can also vary depending on the condition of each child. Therefore, parents need to really pay attention to the changes in the child's body.
2.3 Increased risk of osteoporosis Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption for bone metabolism. However, too much vitamin D supplementation leads to excess vitamin D in infants and detrimental to bone health in young children. When taking high doses of Vitamin D, it will easily lead to low levels of vitamin K2 in the blood of children. Meanwhile, storing calcium in the bones and removing it from the blood is one of the most important functions of vitamin K2. Therefore, very high levels of vitamin D will reduce the activity and function of vitamin K2. This is the cause of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and underdeveloped bones in children.
2.4. Increased risk of kidney failure when children have too much vitamin D According to many studies, if children take too much vitamin D for a long time, it will lead to rapid kidney failure. Many cases of kidney failure are caused by having high levels of calcium in the blood from an early age.
3. What to do when there is an excess of vitamin D in infants?
The first thing when detecting vitamin D toxicity or vitamin D excess in infants is to stop supplementing vitamin D immediately and limit calcium in the diet. Parents need to take their children to visit hospitals or medical centers, and follow the treatment instructions of the pediatrician. Fully perform laboratory tests and indications to monitor and overcome vitamin D excess in infants.
4. How to supplement vitamin D with babies
4.1. Diverse and nutritious diet First, mothers ensure a varied daily diet right from the time they are pregnant, during breastfeeding, and also with their children's daily nutrition. . The mother should pay attention to add some foods rich in vitamin D such as fish, fish oil, cereals, oysters, mushrooms, beans, etc. However, the mother needs to supplement with all kinds of nutrients. Too much focus on vitamin D to avoid causing deficiency of other substances.
In addition, mothers can breastfeed their babies with formula to provide vitamins for the body. Normally, for formula milk containing adequate nutrients, babies do not need to supplement vitamin D from outside. The amount of formula that needs to be used is 500ml per day to fully meet the vitamin D content of the baby.
4.2. Regular sunbathing for children In case the nutrients in formula milk are not enough to provide for babies, new parents need to provide more for their children. The simplest and most effective way is to let your child bask in the sun every day. The reason is that sunlight has a very good effect on metabolism of vitamin D, in addition to helping the child's bone and joint system become stronger.
However, to achieve the best effect and ensure the health of the baby, parents need to pay attention to some issues when letting their children sunbathe as follows:
Children should only sunbathe when they are at least 10 years old. day old. The best time to go sunbathing is in the morning from 7 to 8 o'clock and from 5 p.m. onwards. At this time, the sun is no longer too harsh and the UV index is not too high, it is best to let your baby sunbathe for a period of 10 to 15 minutes. 4.3. Using products containing vitamin D Mothers can also refer to some products with the main use of vitamin D supplementation for babies. Infants cannot use products in tablet form, so you must pay attention to choose liquid products and give them drop by drop. Pediatricians will prescribe a prophylactic dose of vitamin D deficiency for subjects at risk of vitamin D deficiency and mothers need to comply with that indication. In the process of using vitamin D preparations, parents need to pay attention to research on dosage and how to use the product. Taking a daily dose of vitamin D is the safest way to use it. Limit the use of vitamin D preparations with high doses in prevention and treatment because it is easy to cause vitamin D excess in infants or poisoning.
5. Notes when choosing vitamin D preparations
To ensure that infants who are exclusively breastfed and partially breastfed do not receive more than 400 IU of vitamin D per day, health organizations recommend the following to parents:
Always keep the packaging and instructions for use. use of vitamin D supplements to ensure a good source of information when using these products. Make sure to follow the correct operation, use the correct dosage according to the instructions. Use only the vitamin D dropper or dosing device that came with the product. Do not use the dosing devices of this product for another product. Choose products with droppers or dose dividers that have clear, easy-to-understand units. Note, make sure that the dosimetry units correspond to the units in the instructions for use. If you cannot determine the exact amount of vitamin D provided in each dose of the product, you should consult a healthcare professional before use. If your baby is exclusively or partially formula-fed, consult your pediatrician or nutritionist before giving your baby vitamin D supplements to prevent excess vitamin D in infants. You should note that regardless of any drug or functional food, besides its health benefits, there are always side effects or unwanted effects when used in excess. Vitamin D is essential for the development of strong bones, and plays a role in preventing health problems related to heart disease, diabetes, and osteoarthritis. However, excess vitamin D in infants also has dangerous consequences. Therefore, mothers should only supplement in the correct dosage according to the doctor's instructions so as not to cause harm to health.
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