About 40 percent of Americans take at least one vitamin or mineral supplement daily and another 20 percent take them occasionally. Taking vitamins and minerals seems to fall within a gray area — giving your body what it needs by taking supplements certainly benefits you in every way, but knowing how to assess that need is often difficult. Without testing, it’s hard to say which vitamins and minerals you personally need. But these general guidelines apply if you’re in one of these special needs groups:
Pregnant and breast-feeding women
Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding generally need additional vitamins, and the B vitamins are particularly important. Folic acid reduces the risk for neural tube defects and possibly facial abnormalities, such as cleft palate, in newborns. Multivitamins also appear to protect against certain congenital heart defects. In order to be protective, however, both folic acid and multivitamin supplements must be taken before a woman actually becomes pregnant. Folate levels, even in a healthy diet, may not be protective enough for pregnant women, and so supplements are needed. The RDA for folic acid prior to conception and during pregnancy is 400 mcg. During breast-feeding, between 260 and 280 mcg is recommended. Choline, another B vitamin, is also essential for pregnant and nursing women — 450 mg during pregnancy and 550 when breast-feeding. Vitamin B6 may help improve morning sickness. Although one study suggested that if pregnant women take vitamin K supplements, their infants might not need the required injection of this vitamin after birth, supplements of vitamin K during pregnancy are not currently recommended. Some women have low vitamin A reserves in their livers, but it is important to note that too much vitamin A significantly increases the risk for birth defects. Daily amounts of 10,000 IU of vitamin A in supplements and food (an amount not far above the RDA level) can pose a danger. Experts recommend that pregnant women take in no more than 8000 IU per day and avoid eating liver.
Infants and children
Infants who are breast-fed by healthy mothers receive enough vitamins except, in some cases, vitamins K and D. Human milk has low levels of K, and the newborn’s immature intestinal tract may not produce enough to supply sufficient amounts to the baby. Most babies are given an injection of vitamin K at birth. Infants who are breast-fed by malnourished women or by those who lacked sufficient exposure to sunlight may be deficient in vitamin D. In these cases, supplements of 200-300 IU are recommended. Formulas are required to contain sufficient vitamins and minerals. One study suggests that when infants under 1 year of age take vitamin supplements it may help protect them from developing Type I diabetes later in life. Beyond infancy, most American children receive all the vitamins they need from their diets, unless they are living in severely deprived circumstances. more>>>