Prevention and treatment of zinc deficiency in children

As we all know in life, children in the growth and development period need to supplement sufficient amounts of zinc. For a child, if the body lacks zinc, it will be very harmful, because zinc is very important for children. Zinc deficiency will not only cause children to be anorexic and picky eaters, but also affect their intellectual development. It will also destroy the baby's immunity and make the baby's resistance weak. So how can children prevent and treat zinc deficiency?

Reduces appetite

Zinc is an indispensable element of salivary protein. If the baby's body does not contain enough zinc, it will affect his or her taste sensitivity, and cause problems such as loss of appetite, partial eating, and picky eating.

Rough skin

The zinc contained in the skin accounts for one-fifth of the zinc content in the human body, and has anti-radiation and light protection effects. Babies who are zinc deficient have drier and rougher skin than normal babies and have a higher incidence of skin diseases.

Recurrent oral ulcers

The synthesis of collagen and the growth of epithelial tissue are both inseparable from zinc. Therefore, if the baby is zinc deficient, the wound will not heal easily and oral ulcers will easily recur.

Affects bone development

If the zinc content in the body is insufficient, the cell differentiation rate will slow down, which will in turn hinder the formation of cartilage and hardening of bones, and the growth rate will be significantly reduced.

Reduced immunity

Zinc is one of the important elements of human immune function. If the content in the body is insufficient, the immune function will be reduced, which will make the baby susceptible to external infections and further cause colds, bronchitis and other diseases.

Hindering intellectual development

Zinc affects your baby's brain development and memory function. Generally speaking, children who are zinc deficient have worse memory than normal children.

The most natural way to get zinc is from food.

Breastfeeding

Exclusive breastfeeding is encouraged for babies within 6 months, and breastfeeding is recommended until the baby is 2 years old and above. Because 62% of the zinc in breast milk can be absorbed, which is incomparable to cow's milk, and the zinc content in colostrum is four to seven times that of serum zinc.

Supplement zinc-rich foods

Relevant data shows that animal foods contain relatively high levels of zinc, and about half of the zinc can be absorbed by the human body. This is because the protein in food can be broken down into amino acids, which assist in the absorption of zinc. If the baby is bottle-fed or mixed-fed, then after 4 months you can add some zinc-rich complementary foods, such as minced lean meat, walnut kernel powder and other foods.

When a child is 4 years old, the zinc obtained from daily diet is enough to meet the body's needs. If we do not pay attention to the rationality of the dietary structure, children are likely to develop bad habits of being picky eaters and having anorexia. The correct way to supplement zinc for children is to mix coarse and fine grains to achieve a balanced diet. After children turn four, their daily diet should provide them with adequate amounts of zinc.

Children's diet should be arranged reasonably, with diversified and nutritionally balanced menus to stimulate their appetite. Sweets are not good for children's zinc supplementation, so the amount of sweets they consume should be controlled as much as possible on a daily basis.

Zinc supplementation

Before giving your child zinc supplements, be sure to have the child checked at the hospital. Only after a confirmed diagnosis can zinc sulfate syrup or zinc gluconate be used. The general medication period should be limited to two to four months, and the medication should be stopped promptly after the zinc content returns to normal. What needs attention is that zinc supplementation should be proper and not excessive, otherwise it can easily cause human poisoning and induce a series of diseases such as iron deficiency and anemia.