Adequate intake of vitamins in the child's body is very important for the full development of the child. Among these substances, vitamin C is considered one of the most important, which is also called "ascorbic acid". Why is such a vitamin valuable for babies, what is the consumption rate of vitamin C in childhood, and is it possible to get such a compound not only from food, but also from vitamin supplements?
The value of vitamin C for the child's body
The most famous property of this vitamin is its effect on the immunity of children.
If the intake of ascorbic acid in the baby's body is sufficient, it will reduce the incidence of diseases and help the baby to resist diseases during the season of colds and viral infections.
Other valuable properties of vitamin C include:
- Acceleration of wound healing. This vitamin helps to recover faster in the postoperative period or after burns.
- Improvement of vascular condition, in particular, normalization of capillary permeability. This determines the value of ascorbic acid for frequent bleeding.
- Protecting cells from toxic substances and harmful compounds. Thanks to its antioxidant effect, vitamin C can even protect against cancer.
- Participation in the synthesis of collagen - a protein that is included in the structure of the skin, cartilage and bones.
- Participation in the absorption of iron and vitamin B9. Since vitamin C is important for blood formation, a sufficient amount of it in the daily diet is important after blood loss or injury.
- Regulation of the blood coagulation process.
- Influence on the synthesis of adrenaline, due to which children have better mood and less stress.
- Positive effect on the digestive tract due to the activation of digestive enzymes. In addition, ascorbic acid has a slight laxative effect.
Needs at different ages
The daily dose of ascorbic acid depends on the age of the child. Children should receive daily vitamin C in the following amounts:
With diseases or signs of ascorbic acid deficiency that have already appeared, daily dosages increase, but should not exceed the following indicators:
What products contain
Vitamin C is a water-soluble compound that is not produced in the human body. That is why ascorbic acid must necessarily be present in the food that the child eats, because food is the main source of such a vitamin.
A lot of ascorbic acid is found in:
- Rosehip fruit.
- Currant.
- Sweet pepper.
- Spinach.
- Strawberries.
- Gooseberry.
- Sea buckthorn.
- Kiwi.
- Cabbage.
- Green peas.
- Citrus fruits.
- Pineapple.
- Potatoes.
- Cherry.
It is important to remember that during long-term storage, part of the vitamin C is destroyed. Poorly tolerates such a vitamin and high temperatures, which makes it important to eat fresh fruits and vegetables.
For more information on what foods should be included in the diet to provide yourself with vitamin C, see the program "Living Healthy".
Lack of vitamin C - symptoms
If the food that the child eats contains too little ascorbic acid, then the deficiency of such a vitamin in the body will manifest itself:
- Fatigue during games.
- Falling asleep early and sleeping longer.
- Pallor of the skin.
- Bleeding gums.
- The appearance of nosebleeds.
- Decreased appetite.
- Frequent viral infections.
- Blueness of the skin around the nose, ears, or lips.
A long-term lack of vitamin C can lead to serious consequences, for example, the formation of punctate subcutaneous hemorrhages and the development of scurvy. A doctor should prescribe vitamin C in such situations, choosing a therapeutic dosage.
Vitamin C Supplements
Preparations containing vitamin C are especially relevant at a time when there are fewer fresh vegetables or fruits in the children's diet or the concentration of ascorbic acid in them decreases due to long storage. This period is usually winter and early spring.
Vitamin C supplements are:
- One-component. In such preparations, ascorbic acid is the main component. These include vitamin C in pills or tablets, combined with carbohydrates (glucose, dextrose) for better absorption.
Effervescent tablets are also popular, from which a vitamin drink is prepared.
- Multicomponent. These drugs include multivitamin complexes that include vitamin C as one of the many ingredients. A child can get ascorbic acid from such popular multivitamin complexes as Multi-tabs, Alphabet, Pikovit, Sana-Sol, Nature's Plus, Solgar, Biovital gel, Vitamishki, Vitrum and many others.
The opinions of doctors about the need to introduce vitamin complexes into the child's diet differ. So, the famous doctor Komarovsky is against such additives, and the Union of Pediatricians of Russia is for. For more on this, see the following videos.
Indications
Supplements containing vitamin C are recommended:
- With an unbalanced diet.
- During the period of active growth of the child.
- In the winter-autumn period.
- With increased stress, both physical and emotional.
- During the recovery period after surgery or injury.
- With hemorrhagic diathesis.
- For the prevention of colds.
Contraindications
Vitamin C supplements are not recommended for:
- Hypersensitivity to drug components.
- A tendency to develop blood clots.
- Elevated hemoglobin levels.
- Thrombophlebitis.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Severe kidney disease.
Instructions for the use of ascorbic acid
Most often, for the prevention of hypovitaminosis C in childhood, sweet tablets are chosen in which ascorbic acid is combined with glucose. These white, round tablets are familiar to every adult. Each tablet contains 25 mg of vitamin C. Here's what you need to know if you want to give ascorbic acid in this form to your child:
- The supplement is recommended to be given to babies no earlier than 3 years of age.
- This vitamin C is offered to children after meals.
- Under the age of 10, a child is given 1 tablet a day, and children over 10 years old are given 2 tablets daily.
- The duration of prophylactic intake of ascorbic acid is from 2 to 8 weeks.
- For therapeutic purposes, such ascorbic acid is prescribed in a double dosage - 2 tablets daily for children 3-10 years old and 3-4 tablets for children 11 years old and older.
There are glucose tablets that contain 100 mg of ascorbic acid. They are prescribed to children from 6 years of age, half a tablet per day.
Overdose
When trying to make up for the lack of ascorbic acid with the help of preparations containing this vitamin, it is important that the correct dosage is observed, corresponding to the age of the child. Since vitamin C is unable to accumulate in the human body, a small excess of doses in most cases will not affect health in any way.
If the child drinks a large dose of ascorbic acid once, due to its irritating effect on the gastric mucosa, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence may occur. Also, an excess of vitamin C can cause headaches, sweating, weakness, insomnia, and hot flashes.
In addition, vitamin C is classified as an allergenic compound, therefore, an allergy is a consequence of exceeding normal doses. It often appears as an itchy rash and redness on the skin.
You can find out some more interesting facts about the benefits of vitamin C for the body by watching the following video.
