Does pregnancy affect vitamin a levels?

The importance of vitamin A as a supplement for maintaining vision has been well-documented for hundreds of years. The function vitamin A plays in other fundamental physiological processes like development, fertilization, immunology, and epithelial tissue maintenance is long recognised but not understood. The primary global cause of avoidable blindness is actually a vitamin A deficiency.

Retinol, another name for vitamin A, serves a number of crucial roles. These include maintaining healthy skin and the lining of specific body parts, such as the nose and assisting your body's natural defence against infection and disease (the immune system).  While vitamin A is necessary for everyone, it plays an especially important role at times when cells multiply and differentiate quickly, such as during healthy pregnancy and early development.

Why is vitamin A so crucial for pregnant women?

One of your baby's most complex and remarkable organs, their eyes, benefit from vitamin A's role in their growth. Additionally, it plays a vital role in the development of your baby's lungs, which contain millions of tiny air sacs known as alveoli and their immunology and skin cell production.

Pregnant women who have low vitamin A reserves may experience anaemia and it may also have an impact on their baby's growth. Ideally, your food should provide you with all of the Vitamin A that you require.

Read more: Vitamin A, benefits, signs and symptoms of a deficiency.

What effects does vitamin A have on unborn children?

When it concerns a baby's growth, vitamin A ensures that a number of critically crucial areas, including vision, breathing, and immunity, take place. Maintaining appropriate vitamin A levels throughout pregnancy increases the likelihood that your baby will be born with adequate vitamin A levels to get them through the initial stages. 

The natural reserves of your unborn baby are increased during pregnancy to prepare for their first months of life. Your baby's immune system can be impacted by low vitamin A levels after delivery, making them more prone to illness, weight loss and infection. Thus, during pregnancy, there should be enough vitamin A intake to support these early stages.

It might be tricky to strike the appropriate balance about how much vitamin while consuming vitamin A during a healthy pregnancy. Having too much can affect your growing baby and cause birth abnormalities, while too little poses an increased risk of hazards to your development and those of your unborn child.

Is vitamin A vital while pregnant?

A vitamin A shortage during pregnancy can cause foetal growth restriction and severely impact the body's ability to regulate insulin and maternal blood volume and blood sugar in the long run. According to some instances, type 2 diabetes can even develop as a result. In contrast, a vitamin A deficiency was already linked to birth defects in animals, including cleft lips or palates, tiny or non-existent eyes, aberrant urinary systems, forelimb deformities, and improper heart and artery development.

Undoubtedly, total vitamin A is therefore important, including during pregnancy. The most prevalent symptoms of vitamin A-deficient pregnant women include night blindness or difficulty perceiving objects in low light. This disorder is known as xerophthalmia, and it causes a dry and thickened cornea.

According to a case study in the UK, a 37-year-old woman who was 33 weeks pregnant was sent to vitamin supplementation due to the night blindness experienced by vitamin A deficiency.

If you choose to breastfeed your child, you should not need to make any significant dietary modifications, but you should eat healthily. While a balanced diet is crucial during your healthy pregnancy and for your overall immune system, your likelihood of vitamin deficiency increases in your third trimester as your baby's rapid growth and higher blood volume raise your requirements. Your body naturally prioritizes your baby's requirements, which is why you require significant amounts.

How much vitamin A during pregnancy is too much?

Even though vitamin A is essential for pregnancy, too much vitamin can be harmful and lead to developmental abnormalities, particularly when it is in the form of retinoic acid and 13-cis-retinoic acid. The popular acne drug isotretinoin, which includes 13-cis-retinoic acid, seems to be teratogenic and should not be taken during pregnancy for precisely the same reason. These particular vitamin A compounds can influence development by influencing gene expressions inside the foetus and the embryo.

Studies suggest that excessive supplementing or too much vitamin has toxic effects linked to pregnancy loss as well as cardiac and nervous system defects. The incidence of teratogenicity is highest within the first 60 days of pregnancy since this significantly impacts early development.

How much folate A should a pregnant woman take?

Retinol activity equivalents termed as RAE,  which are dependent on the potency and supply of vitamin A, is the accepted measure of vitamin A. RAE is measured in micrograms (mcg), and one mcg of retinol (executed vitamin A) is equivalent to 12 or 24 mcg of beta- or alpha-carotene, respectively.

Recommendations for vitamin-A intake:

The RDA comprises 770 mcg RAE for pregnancy and 1330 mcg RAE during breastfeeding per day. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns against consuming more than 3000 mcg per day and suggests 800 mcg daily for people who are prone to vitamin A insufficiency and night blindness.

The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) advises against taking dietary supplements containing more than 1500 mcg of vitamin A per day in industrialized nations with a reduced risk of vitamin A pregnancy deficiency. Considering that liver is a significant dietary source of the A nutrient, you should likewise abstain from eating it while expecting.

Do you require daily vitamin A supplements when expecting?

Supplemental Vitamin A during pregnancy is typically not advised. One should monitor their vitamin nutrition levels. Most people consume enough amounts of vitamin A in their diets, and most prenatal dietary supplements also include vitamin A.

Check the label of your prenatal supplement to ensure you aren't taking more of it than is advised.

This is one of the reasons it's crucial to avoid taking most prenatal vitamins or supplements without consulting your doctor. However, certain over-the-counter brands, some forms of multivitamins, and even certain fortified foods offer sizeable levels of pro-vitamin A. The majority of prenatal vitamins incorporate, at minimum, some of their folate in the form of beta-carotene.

Consult your health professionals to reduce risk if you believe you require a vitamin A supplement or if you have any concerns about the vitamin A content of your prenatal vitamin.

Read more: Vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy

Foods high in vitamin A for pregnant women

As your body cannot produce vitamin A by itself, we must obtain it from our diet. Two types of vitamin A are present in the human diet. The first is retinol and retinoic acid ester, preformed vitamin A that is obtained from animal sources such as dairy, meat, and fish. The other is provitamin A carotenoids, of which beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin are the most prevalent and are found in a wide range of orange, red, and amber fruits and vegetables as well as dark green leafy vegetables.

1.     Increase intake of fruits & vegetables

Certain food sources that offer enough vitamin A are fruits and vegetables that are high in beta-carotene, particularly those that are orange or yellow and leafy greens.

The following food sources contain the most beta-carotene:

Fruits:

Yellow fruits, like apricots, papayas, and mangoes, are the best sources of beta carotene

Vegetables:

Vegetables that are yellow, red, and green (leafy), such as spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, and red peppers

Moreover, vitamin-supplemented milk and cereals are likely to provide you with a good dose of preformed vitamin A. Oily fish is also a high source of beta-carotene and act as a folic acid supplement.

Include certain foods rich and high in beta-carotene within your diet to receive enough vitamin A because your body can turn it into retinol. Green leafy vegetables are best to go for as they reduce the risk of deficiency.

2.     Avoid Liver consumption

The biggest concentrations of provitamin A are found in the liver, which can come from cattle, lamb, or chicken. Because of this, you should reduce your eating liver during pregnancy to avoid consuming for normal development and to not cross safety limits. More than double the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A for pregnant women can be found in a 3-ounce portion of beef liver, which is approximate eight times the quantity!

3.     Legumes such as lentils and beans

Behind the calf's liver, lentils are indeed the second-highest source of folic acid and the foremost level of iron among ALL foods.

Sources have found that up to 90% of the regular folic acid requirements are satisfied by just 1 serving of cooked lentils. Additionally, chickpeas and pinto beans are not far behind lentils and enriched food sources if you become tired of them.

Read more: What foods are high in folate?

Bottom Line:

We can conclude that vitamin A is a crucial maternal nutrition for both the mother and her foetus. The emphasis should be on monitoring and consuming vitamin A from whole foods and adhering to a pregnancy diet made up of foods rich that provide specific nutrients required throughout pregnancy. Pregnant women are encouraged to take a whole-food pregnancy diet and vitamin supplements to ensure they obtain the necessary nutrients. This guards against dietary inadequacies, such as vitamin A deficiency.

If you would like to monitor your vitamin levels, try taking our Vitamin A or Vitamin Deficiency Test.