It is known that vitamin A deficiency can lead to increased deaths in infants under 6 months of age. Researchers found that giving infants two doses of vitamin A (24,000 IU each dose) within 48 hours of birth significantly reduced early infant mortality. Newborn infants who received vitamin A had a 22 percent to 23 percent reduction in mortality during the first six months of life.
Researchers are uncertain why infants benefit from receiving a large dose of vitamin A shortly after birth, but suggest vitamin A may provide a stimulus to rapid maturation of both gut and lung lining. This matured lining may be more resistant to invasion by pathogens or may be able to clear such organisms more efficiently.
British Medical Journal August 2, 2003;327:254
Vitamin A is a wonderful nutrient that many of us do not receive enough of. However, if you decide to supplement this vitamin it’s important to do so with natural sources as synthetic vitamin A is actually associated with negative effects on bone density and can actually cause osteoporosis.
One of the best sources of vitamin A is from animal products such as Carlson's cod liver oil, which has 2,000 to 3,000 units of vitamin A per teaspoon. This is a natural isomer that has not been associated with negative effects, and Carlson’s brand has been independently lab tested to ensure it is free of mercury and other toxins.
When I spoke in LA about two weeks ago, a woman came to the microphone to share that giving her child cod liver oil saved her child's life. Her child had undergone a bone marrow transplant for the treatment of leukemia and had started to have a graft versus host reaction for which the doctors had no clue how to treat. But the perceptive mom started cod liver oil and the potentially fatal problem resolved.
One, of course, needs to be cautious of using cod liver oil for vitamin A in the summer because it also contains vitamin D. Summer sun exposure will increase vitamin D levels naturally and could potentially cause toxic vitamin D levels. However, cod liver oil is a must-take supplement for just about everyone in the fall, winter and early spring. If you can’t find it in your local health food store, it’s available in our Web site store.
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