ABUJA – Dr Denis Shatima, the Chief Consultant Paediatrician, National Hospital, Abuja, on Wednesday advised nursing mothers to take proper care of their children to give them healthy live.
Shatima gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
The expert said that the measure would also ensure a sustainable healthy development of children.
The consultant reminded mothers that they were the core determinants to child growth.
He pointed out that vitamin C also known as “ascorbic acid” is very vital to the growth of infants between the time of birth and adulthood.
Shatima said the deficiency of vitamin C manifest in diverse ways, which ranges from bone crisis, bleeding of the gums and poor development, among others.
“Vitamin C plays important role in the synthesis of the body particularly on the growing bones of an infant.
“There is lots of incorporation of vitamin C into the synthesis of collagen which is the major component of the growing bones.
“The bones can be affected, the child can have difficulty in walking, and when these happen the child might be mistaken to be a sickle cell anaemia patient,’’ he said.
The consultant also pointed out that vitamin C plays an important role in generation of free radicals.
“Free radicals are substances that can damage cells and are believed to accelerate the progression of cancer, cardiovascular disease and age-related diseases.
“During the process of metabolism in the body, the cells generate some substances that are probably harmful to the body.
“But because of the presence of substances like vitamin C, they are able to inhibit free radicals such that the infants don’t have serious medical conditions,’’ Shatima stressed.
He added that there were cells in the human system that produce antibodies which in turn fight infections and the production of the antibodies involve vitamin C.
Besides, Shatima encouraged mothers to take to adequate food and balanced diet for the proper growth of their children. (NAN)
