Dr Adeolu Arikawe, a General Physician, on Wednesday, advised pregnant women to avoid the intake of Vitamin A, as it could cause abnormalities in babies.
“A pregnant woman should avoid the intake of Vitamin A in pregnancy as much as possible because it has been identified to be one of the causes of abnormalities in some babies,” he said.
Arikawe also explained that an expectant mother should be encouraged to take some multivitamins, to boost appetite and develop immunity.
“Folic acid is necessary for the development of the foetal nervous system, which starts forming very early in pregnancy. It is important to start taking multivitamins before pregnancy to correct any form of deficiency,’’ he said.
He also advised pregnant to be taking blood building drugs for blood production, noting that most pregnant women had low red blood cell concentration.
Arikawe explained that low blood cell concentration could be harmful to the foetus, if below critical point.
“Although there is no special diet for pregnant women, some food items have to be avoided. For instance, there is risk of acquiring toxoplasmosis infection from raw or under-cooked meat. Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that does significant damage to the foetus than it does to the mother,’’ Arikawe said.
This type of pronoucement should be authenticated.Where is the phyisician from and where does he practice?Which research did he do and where was it published?Your article should have a complete veiw point for it to acceptable by professionals who dont just swallow everything they read hook line and sinker.NE take note of this when next your are publishing article of this magnitude.
ReplyDeleteI got this article from the internet and this should interest the writer of the above article.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
HOMECURRENT ISSUEEMAIL ALERTSARCHIVESSUBSCRIPTIONSSEARCH FOR ARTICLES
CUSTOM PUBLICATION FAQSearch AJCN Submit
Advanced SearchInstitution: GLAXOSMITHKLINE+The American Journal of Clinical Nutritionajcn.nutrition.orgAm J Clin Nutr May 2000 vol. 71 no. 5 1325s-1333s
© 2000 American Society for Clinical Nutrition
Vitamin A in pregnancy: requirements and safety limits1,2,3
Véronique Azaïs-Braesco and Gérard Pascal
+ Author Affiliations
1From the INRA, Human Nutrition and Food Safety Scientific Division, the Metabolic Diseases and Micronutrients Unit, Vitamin Research Group, Paris and Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Next SectionAbstract
Most of the functions of vitamin A are mediated through the binding of retinoic acid to specific nuclear receptors that regulate genomic expression. Recent experimental work in transgenic mice showed clearly that normal embryonic development depends on the correct spatial and temporal expression of the receptors in the differentiating cells and on the binding of specific forms of retinoic acid. This implies that the parent compound, vitamin A, is available in adequate forms and quantities. Excessive dietary intake of vitamin A has been associated with teratogenicity in humans in <20 reported cases over 30 y. However, caution must be exercised to avoid unnecessary supplementation of women of childbearing age. Hypovitaminosis A affects millions of women and children worldwide. The main consequence of a poor vitamin A supply during pregnancy is a low vitamin A status at birth and in the next few months. Vitamin A deficiency is strongly associated with depressed immune function and higher morbidity and mortality due to infectious diseases such as diarrhea, measles, and respiratory infections. Vitamin A deficiency is often associated with an increased mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1. The initiation of vitamin A supplementation should be carefully examined in each case according to the risk-to-benefit ratio. The final decision should take into account the estimated vitamin A status of the woman, the availability of vitamin A–rich foods in her diet, and whether supplementation can be supervised.
Thank you Eugene for pointing out the inadequacies of this report & your example of how such a report should have been presented.
ReplyDeleteNE, yourr report is very unprofessional & incomplete. The so called Dr did not state the indications or contraindication of vit A intake in expectant mothers.
How are the dangers manifested when taken? How does it affect the baby & mother & at what dosage. How did he arrive at his conclusion, on what or who was the research carried out on? & what body or authority authenticated his claims.
Vitamin A is present in a variety of foods and is important for your baby’s development. However, in high concentrations it can have harmful effects so there are certain vitamin A-rich foods to avoid during pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteVery informative tips
ReplyDelete