Vitamin K at Birth: To Inject or Not

[Guest guest]

http://www.mercola.com/2004/may/26/vitamin_k_injections.htm

 

Vitamin K at Birth: To Inject or Not

By Linda Folden Palmer, DC

 

Newborn infants routinely receive a vitamin K shot after birth in order to

prevent (or slow) a rare problem of bleeding into the brain weeks after birth.

Vitamin K promotes blood clotting. The fetus has low levels of vitamin K as well

as other factors needed in clotting. The body maintains these levels very

precisely.1 Supplementation of vitamin K to the pregnant mother does not change

the K status of the fetus, confirming the importance of its specific levels.

 

Toward the end of gestation, the fetus begins developing some of the other

clotting factors, developing two key factors just before term birth.2 It has

recently been shown that this tight regulation of vitamin K levels helps control

the rate of rapid cell division during fetal development. Apparently, high

levels of vitamin K can allow cell division to get out of hand, leading to

cancer.

 

What's the Concern?

 

The problem of bleeding into the brain occurs mainly from three to seven weeks

after birth in just over five out of 100,000 births (without vitamin K

injections); 90 percent of those cases are breastfed infants3 because formulas

are supplemented with unnaturally high levels of vitamin K. Forty percent of

these infants suffer permanent brain damage or death.

 

The cause of this bleeding trauma is generally liver disease that has not been

detected until the bleeding occurs. Several liver problems can reduce the

liver's ability to make blood-clotting factors out of vitamin K; therefore extra

K helps this situation. Infants exposed to drugs or alcohol through any means

are especially at risk, and those from mothers on anti-epileptic medications are

at very high risk and need special attention.

 

Such complications reduce the effectiveness of vitamin K, and in these cases, a

higher level of available K could prevent the tragic intracranial bleeding. This

rare bleeding disorder has been found to be highly preventable by a large-dose

injection of vitamin K at birth.

 

The downside of this practice however is a possibly 80 percent increased risk of

developing childhood leukemia. While a few studies have refuted this suggestion,

several tightly controlled studies have shown this correlation to be most

likely.4,5 The most current analysis of six different studies suggests it is a

10 percent or 20 percent increased risk. This is still a significant number of

avoidable cancers.6

 

Apparently the cell division that continues to be quite rapid after birth

continues to depend on precise amounts of vitamin K to proceed at the proper

rate. Introduction of levels that are 20,000 times the newborn level, the amount

usually injected, can have devastating consequences.

 

The Newborn's Diet

 

Nursing raises the infant's vitamin K levels very gradually after birth so that

no disregulation occurs that would encourage leukemia development. Additionally,

the clotting system of the healthy newborn is well planned, and healthy

breastfed infants do not suffer bleeding complications, even without any

supplementation.7

 

While breastfed infants demonstrate lower blood levels of vitamin K than the

" recommended " amount, they show no signs of vitamin K deficiency (leading one to

wonder where the " recommended " level for infants came from). But with vitamin K

injections at birth, harmful consequences of some rare disorders can be averted.

 

Infant formulas are supplemented with high levels of vitamin K, generally

sufficient to prevent intracranial bleeding in the case of a liver disorder and

in some other rare bleeding disorders. Although formula feeding is seen to

increase overall childhood cancer rates by 80 percent, this is likely not

related to the added vitamin K.

 

The Numbers

 

Extracting data from available literature reveals that there are 1.5 extra cases

of leukemia per 100,000 children due to vitamin K injections, and 1.8 more

permanent injuries or deaths per 100,000 due to brain bleeding without

injections. Adding the risk of infection or damage from the injections,

including a local skin disease called " scleroderma " that is seen rarely with K

injections,8 and even adding the possibility of healthy survival from leukemia,

the scales remain tipped toward breastfed infants receiving a prophylactic

vitamin K supplementation. However, there are better options than the .5- or

1-milligram injections typically given to newborns.

 

A Better Solution

 

The breastfed infant can be supplemented with several low oral doses of liquid

vitamin K9 (possibly 200 micrograms per week for five weeks, totaling 1

milligram, even more gradual introduction may be better). Alternatively, the

nursing mother can take vitamin K supplements daily or twice weekly for 10

weeks. (Supplementation of the pregnant mother does not alter fetal levels but

supplementation of the nursing mother does increase breastmilk and infant

levels.)

 

Either of these provides a much safer rate of vitamin K supplementation.

Maternal supplementation of 2.5 mg per day, recommended by one author, provides

a higher level of vitamin K through breastmilk than does formula,10 and may be

much more than necessary.

 

Formula provides 10 times the U.S. recommended daily allowance, and this RDA is

about two times the level in unsupplemented human milk. One milligram per day

for 10 weeks for mother provides a cumulative extra 1 milligram to her infant

over the important period and seems reasonable. Neither mother nor infant

require supplementation if the infant is injected at birth.11

 

The Bottom Line

 

There is no overwhelming reason to discontinue this routine prophylactic

injection for breastfed infants. Providing information about alternatives to

allow informed parents to refuse would be reasonable. These parents may then

decide to provide some gradual supplementation, or, for an entirely healthy term

infant, they may simply provide diligent watchfulness for any signs of jaundice

(yellowing of eyes or skin) or easy bleeding.

 

There appears to be no harm in supplementing this vitamin in a gradual manner

however. Currently, injections are provided to infants intended for formula

feeding as well, although there appears to be no need as formula provides good

gradual supplementation. Discontinuing routine injections for this group alone

could reduce cases of leukemia.

 

One more curious look at childhood leukemia is the finding that when any nation

lowers its rate of infant deaths, their rate of childhood leukemia increases.12

Vitamin K injections may be responsible for some part of this number, but other

factors are surely involved, about which we can only speculate.

 

Dr. Linda Folden Palmer consults and lectures on natural infant health, optimal

child nutrition and attachment parenting. After running a successful

chiropractic practice focused on nutrition and women's health for more than a

decade, Linda's life became transformed eight years ago by the birth of her son.

Her research into his particular health challenges led her to write Baby

Matters: What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Caring for Your Baby.

Extensively documented, this healthy parenting book presents the scientific

evidence behind attachment parenting practices, supporting baby's immune system,

preventing colic and sparing drug usage. You can visit Linda's Web site at

www.babyreference.com.

 

 

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

Administering vitamin K to newborns becomes an even greater issue when you

consider the source. The vitamin K injections administered by hospitals to

newborns are synthetic and may contain benzyl alcohol as a preservative.

 

The only known reported cases of vitamin K toxicity result from having used this

synthetic form.

 

It certainly seems wise to instead use an oral form of liquid vitamin K,

gradually supplemented with several low doses as discussed in the above article.

The ideal form to use would be a high-quality vitamin K1, or phylloquinone,

which is found naturally in plants. The vitamin K that I recommend is the

natural vitamin K1 and it comes in a liquid form for a very reasonable price.

 

Please note that pregnant and nursing mothers should avoid vitamin K

supplemental intakes higher than the RDA (65 mcg) unless specifically

recommended and monitored by their physician.

 

Related Articles:

 

Seven Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child That You Need to Know

 

20 Percent of Pregnant Women Suffer From Depression

 

How the Cord Clamp Injures Your Baby's Brain

 

Letter From Parents to Their Doctor on Their Upcoming Delivery

 

Skin-to-Skin Contact With Mom Helps Newborns

 

More Than 300,000 Newborns Get Mercury From Fish Every Year

 

 

 

 

 

Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Messenger