**5. Vitamins**

Vitamins are essential organic substances that are necessary for the traditional prevalence of metabolic events in the body and for maintaining a healthy state. Lack of any creates a selected disorder and damage. Vitamins are taken outwardly with most plant or animal foods. Some vitamins, on the opposite hand, are often partially synthesized within the body, albeit in lean amounts, or they are infatuated food [16]. They're not the fundamental artifact in the human organism; however, they need totally different operates for the regulation and continuity of body functions. Vitamins do not offer energy like different body parts similar to carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. Their main function is to act as a catalyst in the energy-releasing reactions of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids [17]. In some western countries such as the United States and England, the "recommended daily ration (RDA)" value for every vitamin has been determined as a basis for evaluating food things as nutrients and control the daily diet. This determination was supported a daily food intake of 2000 kilocalories [16]. A diet with foods that contain adequate amounts of main nutrients similar to carbohydrates, supermolecule and fat, and particularly from numerous sources provides enough vitamins for the body' daily would like, aside from some special cases [16]. Pregnant women, lactating women, children, athletes, smokers, the elderly, those that are underneath stress and who are sick from sickness have a better need for vitamins [17]. Vitamins are divided into two main teams as fat soluble and water soluble. This solubility property determines the pharmacokinetic properties of vitamins and a few of their qualities relating to their use. They're divided into fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and soluble vitamins (group B and vitamin C) [14]. These are summarized in **Table 1**:


#### • Vitamin C

#### **Table 1.**

*Water and fat soluble vitamins.*

Since water-soluble vitamins cannot be hold on much within the body, they have to be taken frequently in enough quantities to fulfill the daily demand [1, 16]. They're additionally straightforward to expel from the body. Since fat-soluble vitamins are generally hold on in the liver, they are doing not cause vitamin deficiency symptoms though they are taken in lean amounts for a while, if they are taken in enlarged amounts later on. Urinary excretion of fat-soluble vitamins is mostly limited. Therefore, high-dose treatments with these vitamins carry a risk of toxicity [18]. One among the foremost common useful properties of soluble vitamins is their incorporation into specific enzymes as cofactors. In contrast, a minimum of 2 of the fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A and D) act as hormones and act with specific receptors in their target tissues [1]. The necessity for micronutrients throughout pregnancy will increase thanks to physiological changes, and vitamin supplements applied during this era became customary [19]. The expansion and development of the fetus depends on the essential nutrients and vitamins taken by the mother [18]. Since several micronutrients are passed from mother to baby, maternal deficiency causes deficiency in fetus and newborn [20]. In some studies, vitamin deficiency during pregnancy could end in megaloblastia, ectoblast defects, placental and fetal defects, low birth weight, and premature birth [18]. Since several micronutrients are passed from mother to baby, deficiency within the mother causes deficiency in the fetus and newborn. The mechanism of passage through the placenta differs between micronutrients, so some micronutrients are at larger risk of not being transferred to the fetus than others [20].

#### **5.1 Use of vitamin a in pregnancy**

Since vitamin A cannot be synthesized in the body while not a precursor, it's a vitamin that has got to be taken outwardly [21]. It's a lipid-soluble inhibitor [22]. It's hold on in the liver [8]. Fat-soluble vitamin is taken into the body in 2 totally different forms, that are necessary for the living body. The foremost common and necessary within the body is antiophthalmic factor [23]. Fat-soluble vitamin plays a basic role in retinoid metabolism and visual functions, cellular differentiation relating to embryonic development, respiratory organ maturation and system development [8]. The most pathological conditions related to vitamin A deficiency throughout pregnancy are declared as preterm birth, low birth weight and low infant liver vitamin A storage cases. Low vitamin A level in newborns seems to be an element that will increase the chance of bronchopulmonary abnormal condition and infection [24]. Fat-soluble vitamin supplementation does not result on the

#### *The Effects of Multivitamin Use in Pregnancy on Mother and Fetus Health DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98925*

chance of maternal mortality, perinatal death, infant death, stillbirth, neonatal anemia, preterm birth and having a low birth weight baby. However, studies on vitamin A supplementation have shown a reduced maternal risk of visual disorder [25]. Associate early and necessary symptom of vitamin A deficiency is night blindness [8]. High-dose vitamin A supplementation includes an agent effect and will increase the risk of abnormalities within the central nervous system, urinary organ system and vessel systems in the newborn [18]. Each lean and excessive intake of vitamin A will cause issues in fetal growth and development, thus vitamin A sources ought to be adequate and reliable throughout pregnancy [24]. Several pregnant ladies will get the specified quantity of vitamin A from their daily diet while not the necessity for extra vitamin supplements [18]. It's celebrated that vitamin A supplementation will increase the birth weight and growth of the kid born to HIV-infected women, however excessive use should be avoided [11]. Fat-soluble vitamin is believed to cross the placenta by straightforward diffusion [18]. throughout pregnancy, a daily vitamin A intake of 770 mcg is important, and vitamin A intake on top of 3000 mcg is not suggested [14].
