Do children over 1 year old need vitamin D supplements?

The article was consulted with Specialist II Chung Thi Mong Thuy - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatal, Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

Children of different ages have different needs for vitamin D. The body cannot synthesize vitamin D on its own, but must be imported from the outside such as food, medicine, etc. It is necessary to ensure that vitamin D supplementation for children over 1 year old is adequate to help them develop comprehensively and avoid risks. vitamin D deficiency or excess.

Vitamin D helps support the body to absorb calcium and phosphorus - 2 minerals necessary for the structural and sustainable development of bones, helping the baby develop optimal height. In addition, it also plays a role in regulating blood calcium levels, which is always constant, when vitamin D is deficient, the intestines do not absorb enough calcium and phosphorus, causing blood calcium to decrease, then calcium is mobilized from the bones to Stabilizing calcium levels in the blood should result in children's growth retardation, rickets, slow walking, bow legs... adults will have osteoporosis, thinning bones, fragile bones... In addition, vitamins D also supports the functioning of cells, helps muscles, heart, lungs and brain work properly, helping the body to fight infections. For infants, vitamin D is especially important because if the blood level of vitamin D is low, the baby will be at increased risk of respiratory infections. At the same time, vitamin D also contributes to preventing viral infections, cancer, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, preventing autoimmune diseases, obesity, diabetes...
Vitamin D is contained in foods such as fish and eggs. chicken, fresh milk, cheese,... Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble vitamins, very important for the process of forming and keeping children's bones strong, preventing rickets., Deficiency vitamin D deficiency can cause seizures and cardiomyopathy in infants; causes rickets, muscle fatigue and growth retardation in children of all ages. Children with vitamin D deficiency due to not synthesizing enough vitamin D from sunlight or not getting enough vitamin D from foods need vitamin D supplements in pill form.

Children of all ages need vitamin D supplements if the diet is deficient in vitamin D or the body does not synthesize enough vitamin D needs from sunlight. According to the recommendations of the American Institute of Medical Research in 2011, in which, the dosage of vitamin D supplements for children is as follows:
Children who are exclusively or partially breastfed (with formula milk) need vitamin supplements. D dose 400 IU/day, starting shortly after birth a few days; If the child drinks less than 1 liter of vitamin D-rich milk per day, vitamin D should be supplemented with 400 IU/day; Older children who do not get enough vitamin D from food also need to be supplemented with vitamin D at a dose of 400 IU/day; Children 1 - 18 years old: The need for vitamin D is at least 600 IU/day, about 1,000 IU/day. Do not give vitamin D supplements to children 1 - 3 years old with an amount exceeding 2,500 IU/day, children aged 4 - 8 years old with no vitamin D supplementation of more than 3,000 IU/day and children over 8 years old who do not take vitamin D supplements more than 4,000 IU/day; Children, adults with obesity and people who are using anti-epileptic drugs, anti-fungal drugs, drugs to treat AIDS, ... need to supplement vitamin D with a higher dose of 2-3 times.

Let children sunbathe for about 15 minutes every day, depending on the region, the time of sunbathing is different to help enhance the ability to synthesize vitamin D. Ensure the child's diet is rich in nutrients, especially foods. rich in vitamin D such as: Salmon, tuna, yogurt, orange juice, milk, cereals, mackerel, egg yolk, margarine,...; Take vitamin D supplements with the right dosage as advised by your doctor. Parents need to pay attention to supplementing vitamin D for children over 1 year old fully and properly as prescribed by the doctor to help the baby develop physically and intellectually, reduce the risk of rickets, slow down brain development,...
In addition to vitamin D supplementation, children over 1 year old need 5mg of elemental zinc/day for children to eat well, reach the correct height and weight and exceed the standards. Zinc plays a role in affecting most biological processes taking place in the body, especially the breakdown of nucleic acids, proteins... Organs in the body when zinc deficiency can lead to a There are a number of diseases such as neurological disorders, irritability, etc. Therefore, parents need to learn about the role of zinc and guide them to appropriate zinc supplements for their children.
In addition to zinc, parents also need to supplement their children with other important vitamins and minerals such as lysine, chromium, B vitamins,... errands.
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