Vitamin B Requirements in Infancy

Abstract

The infant of today as a routine receives cod liver oil and orange juice, which furnish him with liberal amounts of vitamin A, C and D. Vitamin B is supplied in small amounts in both breast and cow's milk and in somewhat larger quantities when orange juice is also given. At no time is a substance rich in vitamin B given to the infant when he needs it most, that is, at the age when growth is greatest and when his diet is most limited.The normal child develops and grows rapidly during the first year, and most rapidly during the first three months. By the end of the fourth month, the infant has usually doubled his weight, and has tripled it by the end of the first year.1 It is obvious that during this period the infant should receive every substance conducive to optimal growth and development.McCollum and Simmonds 2 stated with regard to the normal versus the optimal nutrition : The tendency of those who have investigated the relation of the diet to disease has been to assume that a diet which does not lead to clinically recognizable symptoms of malnutrition is an adequate one. Now that we understand so much about the nutritive needs of the body and about the properties of food-stuffs we appreciate the existence of many grades of malnutrition. It is becoming constantly more evident that even a slight departure from the optimal in the composition of the food may lead to states of nutritional instability which become contributing factors to physical breakdown when hygienic factors are unfavorable, or when infectious processes are operating. Even under the most favorable living condi¬ tions, however, there can be little doubt that under such circumstances the body tissues lose their vitability and the span of life tends to shorten.