Vitamins and Minerals in The Baby: When are They Necessary? (I)

Posted by mzPOTTER | May 27th, 2010 in Baby Supplements, Pregnancy | No Comments »

vitamins and minerals in the baby: when are they necessary?

A common question among mothers is whether to take supplements of vitamins and minerals in time to nurse their children to ensure an adequate supply of these trace elements through the milk. The other big question about the vitamins and minerals should be taken is whether or not to the babies.

1. The mother who breastfeeds, has to take vitamins?

The baby born with its reserves of vitamins. It is known that vitamin K practically does not cross the placenta. However, the vitamins A, vitamins D and vitamins E does cross the placenta, but in small amounts, while water-soluble vitamins and trace elements like iron, copper and zinc easily cross the placenta and birth the child will have sufficient reserves.

If it is a healthy mother, capable of producing an adequate amount of milk, enough to provide dietary guidance on how to get nutrients from a varied and balanced diet and recommend the consumption of iodized salt.

The administration of iodine during pregnancy and lactation is a measure proposed by the WHO to eradicate the deficit disorders caused at the level of thyroid hormones.

With the exception of iodine, in most cases do not have to receive any other supplement during lactation. Only in special circumstances will be indicated intake of vitamins.

Supplements. Under normal circumstances, the mother who breastfeeds should only take iodine supplements.

2. When vitamins are recommended for the mother?

These special circumstances which would be indicated some vitamin supplementation are:
- If the mother follow strict vegetarian diet, in which case you should take a supplement of vitamin B12.
- Make a strenuous physical exercise, in which case it would require a supplement of vitamin B6.
- And if it was a mother who smoked, in which case it should be supplemented with vitamin C.

3. What vitamins are passed from mother to child through breast milk?

Breast milk contains vitamins that are very important as vitamin A, E, iron, folic acid, iodine and zinc, which play a role in neuronal development and immunity.

4. A deficiency in the mother, so will the baby?

The concentration in human milk of most vitamins intake depends on which of them made the mother. But the mineral concentrations are not correlated with the intake, with some exceptions, such as selenium and iodine, which themselves are influenced by maternal diet.

There are trace elements that are special, such as vitamin E, folic acid and zinc, because the mother’s body has mechanisms not well known, to ensure an adequate intake through breast milk.

It is known that mothers with hypovitaminosis E in the content of this vitamin your milk is adequate, suggesting that during lactation starts a mechanism to mobilize the vitamin E contained in the maternal stores to ensure an adequate supply to the infant.

Has also been shown that during lactation the mammary gland takes precedence for the use of folate being derived from this to the milk rather than to the maternal hematopoietic system, so that even when lower levels of folate in serum and erythrocytes mother, breast milk levels remain stable.

It has been shown that in response to increased demand for zinc during lactation, increases intestinal absorption up to twice and at the same time decreases urinary and fecal elimination. These homeostatic mechanisms to maintain zinc are believed to operate to the maximum in low dietary intake.

Several studies have demonstrated the high bioavailability of minerals contained in milk, by binding to a protein fraction of low molecular weight, which increases the bioavailability. Iron in particular has a low concentration in breast milk, but a large bioavailability attributed to higher levels of vitamin C and lactose in milk, which facilitate their absorption. In general, macro and micronutrient content of human milk adequately cover the needs of the infant during the first six months of life.

credit to: Dr. D ยช. Ana Maria Roca Ruiz
Physicians and dentists. Masters in Nutrition
PulevaSalud.com
image source: http://sp.life123.com/bm.pix/infant-vitamins.s600×600.jpg


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