Vitamin A plays an important role in maintaining health and promoting the development of children. However, vitamin A supplementation for children must also follow the doctor’s instructions, because if overdosed or taken incorrectly, it will cause unwanted side effects. So does vitamin A have side effects for children and how to supplement vitamin A for children safely and effectively?

Children need vitamin A supplements to maintain vision, strengthen the immune system, prevent infections and support the development of bones, teeth and hair. However, vitamin A supplements are not always good for children. So does vitamin A have side effects for children and what are the side effects of vitamin A? This article will answer frequently asked questions about vitamin A for children, as well as provide useful advice for supplementing vitamin A for children safely and effectively.

The importance of vitamin A for children

Vitamin A plays many important roles in children’s health, including:

• Growth: Vitamin A helps children develop normally, avoiding the risk of slow growth, stunted growth, and malnutrition.
• Improving vision: Vitamin A plays an important role in maintaining visual ability, allowing the eyes to see clearly in dim light. Vitamin A deficiency can lead to reduced vision, especially in low light conditions. This is often recognized by the phenomenon of difficulty seeing at night, also known as night blindness, which is the first sign of vitamin A deficiency.
• Protecting the epithelial layer: Vitamin A plays an important role in protecting and maintaining the integrity of the epithelium in the cornea, skin, tracheal mucosa, small intestine, salivary glands, and testicles… When the body lacks vitamin A, the ability to produce mucus decreases, leading to dry and keratinized skin. This is often most evident in the eyes, with the initial stages being conjunctival dryness, followed by corneal damage, eventually leading to blindness. Vitamin A deficiency also causes damage to the intestinal mucosa, causing digestive disorders, or damage to the bronchial mucosa, increasing the risk of respiratory diseases.
• Strengthening the immune system: Vitamin A plays an important role in improving the body’s immune system. When vitamin A is deficient, the body’s ability to defend against diseases is reduced, increasing the risk of serious infections such as measles, respiratory diseases, otitis media, and diarrhea, thereby increasing the risk of death in young children. In addition, vitamin A also helps strengthen the body’s resistance to other infectious diseases such as tetanus and tuberculosis, and contributes to effective cancer prevention.

Vitamin A has many benefits for children

Causes of vitamin A deficiency in children

The causes of vitamin A deficiency in children include:

• A diet lacking in vitamin A: Humans are unable to produce vitamin A themselves, so this vitamin needs to be supplemented through diet. One of the main causes of vitamin A deficiency in children is a diet that does not provide enough vitamin A and carotene (provitamin A).
• In breastfed children: The main source of vitamin A is breast milk. If the mother is deficient in vitamin A, breast milk will not provide enough vitamin A for the child. In addition, if the child breastfeeds less or does not breastfeed enough, the child will also be deficient in vitamin A.
• In sick children: When children are sick, the body’s need for vitamin A increases, but the ability to absorb vitamin A decreases. In particular, diseases such as measles, diarrhea, respiratory infections, otitis media, etc. increase the risk of vitamin A deficiency in children.

Insufficient nutrition in meals will cause children to have vitamin A deficiency.

Are there any side effects when children take vitamin A?

Vitamin A has many benefits for children, but using it in excess of the recommended dose can lead to side effects such as:

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea: These are the most common side effects when children take vitamin A. The reason is that vitamin A stimulates the lining of the stomach and intestines, increases digestive secretions, causes irritation and smooth muscle contractions. This side effect usually occurs within 24 hours of taking vitamin A and disappears on its own.
• Headache, dizziness, fatigue: These are less common side effects, but can also occur when children take vitamin A. The reason is that vitamin A increases brain pressure, causing stress on the brain’s blood vessels and nerves. This side effect also usually disappears after a short time.
• Rash, itching, hives: These are rare side effects, but can also occur when children take vitamin A. The reason is that vitamin A causes allergies in children’s bodies, increases histamine production, causing dermatitis and uncomfortable symptoms. This side effect needs to be treated promptly to avoid complications.

Many parents wonder if taking vitamin A has side effects for children.

How to supplement vitamin A for children safely and effectively

After knowing whether children taking vitamin A have side effects, you also need to pay attention to the notes to supplement vitamin A for children safely and effectively. Parents need to pay attention to some of the following issues when giving children vitamin A:

• Do not use vitamin A without a doctor’s prescription. If children take too much vitamin A, it can cause unwanted side effects, even dangerous to the child’s health.
• If the child has abnormal symptoms after taking vitamin A such as vomiting, diarrhea, headache, facial swelling, allergies, etc., stop taking it immediately and take the child to the hospital for timely examination and treatment.
• Monitor your child’s health and nutrition, especially when he or she has an infection, diarrhea, malnutrition, anemia, worms, etc. If your child shows signs of vitamin A deficiency such as dry skin, dry eyes, blurred vision, pimples, recurrent infections, immunodeficiency, etc., you need to take your child to see a doctor and get timely treatment.
• Provide your child with a varied, balanced diet rich in vitamin A, by feeding your child foods containing vitamin A, such as milk, eggs, liver, butter, animal fat, green vegetables, carrots, pumpkin, mango, pineapple, etc. In addition, you need to add fat or cooking oil to your child’s meals to increase the absorption of vitamin A and vitamin D.
• Breastfeed your child exclusively for the first 6 months and continue breastfeeding until he or she is 24 months old. Breast milk is the best source of vitamin A for your child, helping him or her grow up healthy and fight infections. To ensure breast milk has enough vitamin A, mothers also need to supplement vitamin A for themselves, by eating a full and balanced diet, taking high doses of vitamin A in the first 8 weeks after birth and every 4-6 months.

Breast milk provides the best amount of vitamin A for infants.

Many parents are concerned about whether vitamin A has side effects for children. Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for children’s health and development. However, vitamin A supplementation for children must follow the dosage and time prescribed by the doctor. If children take too much vitamin A, it can cause unwanted side effects, even dangerous to the child’s health. Therefore, parents need to pay attention to how to supplement vitamin A for children in a reasonable way, balancing food sources and vitamin supplements.