Why do we need trace element screening? The human body is made up of more than 60 elements, and trace elements are closely related to people’s health although their content in the human body is small. If the intake of trace elements is too much, not enough or lacking, it is not good for health. Trace elements combine with amino acids, proteins or other organic substances in the human body to form a variety of biological enzymes, vitamins and hormones, which are closely related to the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, immunity, genetics, endocrine, growth and development, and resistance to infection. Among the essential trace elements of human body, five elements of calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium and copper are especially important. The heavy metal element, lead, is very high in daily life, and excessive intake of lead by babies can cause great harm to the body. These six elements are often recommended by doctors during health care. Some mothers think that the baby’s trace elements check is a means for the hospital to earn money and there is no need to do it. Some mothers think that it is good for the baby to be checked according to the doctor’s requirements so that they can know the baby’s health condition. So should we do it or not? If you do, and how should you look at the test results? Actually, neither of the two views mentioned earlier is quite correct. The purpose of the trace element test is to help doctors and parents understand the ratio of major trace elements in the baby’s body during a certain period of time, so that they can make a correct judgment on the baby’s health, which shows that it is necessary. However, this does not mean that babies need to have a micronutrient test every month. At present, micronutrient checkups for babies are mainly done during regular medical checkups, usually after the age of half a year, and are important once a year. babies within 6 months of age are generally breastfed and can fully ensure adequate supplementation of various micronutrients, so there is no need for testing. after 6 months, babies start to add complementary foods and may not be added in time or not enough, at which time the doctor will decide by asking parents about feeding The doctor will then decide whether or not to test the baby by asking the parents about the feeding situation and taking into account the baby’s physical performance. For older babies, doctors will test them according to whether they are picky eaters, partial eaters, repeatedly sick, or congenitally deficient. Therefore, micronutrient testing for babies is not a “holy order” from the doctor – it must be done, but a recommendation from the doctor for parents to do it according to the baby’s condition. What are the methods of testing trace elements? The method of testing for trace elements may vary from hospital to hospital and from institution to institution. Usually, testing with venous blood is the most accurate, but it may be painful for small babies, so the most widely used screening method is finger blood collection testing. The method of testing trace elements with hair is too much disturbed by external environmental factors and is less accurate. What are the reference values, significance, prevention and treatment methods of trace element testing? Zinc: 76.5~170umol/L Zinc is involved in constituting more than 200 kinds of zinc-containing enzymes in the body, influencing the metabolism of nucleic acid, protein, sugar and bone calcium, playing an important role in promoting human growth and development and tissue repair, and maintaining normal taste sensation. Zinc deficiency can manifest as mouth ulcers and picky eating. Zinc deficiency can occur in babies with insufficient zinc intake, while too much zinc intake can also cause toxicity. Zinc can be easily lost during heavy sweating, diarrhea can prevent zinc absorption, and zinc needs increase during fever and growth spurts. Therefore, the zinc value should also be above the middle of the normal range in order to meet the needs of the baby well. Foods rich in zinc include seafood, such as oysters, dried scallops and scallops; nut foods are also high in zinc, such as walnuts, almonds and sesame. Zinc supplements to have zinc gluconate and zinc licorice. Copper: 11.8~39.3umol/L Copper is an element involved in hematopoiesis and bone development and is generally rarely deficient. Even if it is deficient, most of it occurs because the food is too homogeneous, so just be careful to let your baby eat more orange, red and yellow foods. However, when the value of copper is too high, it can also affect the absorption of calcium, iron and zinc. Therefore, it is generally good to be in the middle of the normal value. The offal of animals is high in copper, and food cooked with vessels containing copper are high in copper. Iron: 7.52 ~ 11.mmol / L baby is in the rapid growth period, need a lot of iron to make blood, transport oxygen, so when the value of iron is below the middle of the normal value, the baby may also appear some symptoms, especially in the 6 months 2 years old most common, including pale, fatigue, dizziness, loss of appetite, stomatitis,, wounds easy to infect, hyperactivity, inattentiveness, etc.. Iron-rich foods include animal liver, such as chicken liver and pork liver; soy products are also high in iron and easily absorbed, such as soy milk and tofu; egg yolk is high in iron, but slightly poorly absorbed, and is also considered one of the iron-supplementing foods. Oranges, grapes, kiwi fruit, etc. are rich in vitamin C, which promotes the absorption of iron. Calcium: 1.55-2.65mmol/L Calcium is only 1% of the distribution in the blood, but 99% of the distribution in the bones. When the body is deficient in calcium, the calcium in the bones is transferred to the blood to keep the calcium concentration in the blood stable. Poor sleep quality, night terrors, and pillow baldness are caused by a lack of calcium and no vitamin D supplementation for a period of time. Milk, soy products, nuts are rich in calcium; cod liver oil promotes the absorption and utilization of calcium; more sunshine. Magnesium: 1.12 ~ 2.06mmol/L Magnesium in the human metabolic process assumes a pivotal role, is the human body all growth processes, such as bones, cells, ribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid, heart and a variety of biofilm formation of important substances. There are also hundreds of different enzymes in the human body that need magnesium feeding. If the body is deficient in magnesium, it will allow toxic substances to accumulate in the body causing many diseases, including cancer. The best way to replenish magnesium is to have a staple diet based on coarse grains and vegetables including a variety of fresh legumes. For the general public, more suitable for magnesium-rich food specifically: vegetables in the green leafy vegetables, Cigu, eggplant, radish, etc.; fruit in the grapes, bananas, lemons, oranges, etc.; grain in the brown rice, millet, fresh corn, wheat embryo, etc.; beans in the soybean, peas, fava beans; aquatic products in the nori, sea cucumber, moss, abalone, cuttlefish, salmon, sardines, shellfish, etc.. In addition, snacks in the pine nuts, hazelnuts, watermelon seeds are also high magnesium food. And fatty food, rich strong noodles, white sugar contains less magnesium. Therefore, eat more coarse grains, vegetables, nuts and fruits, you can effectively increase the intake of magnesium. If the daily intake of magnesium exceeds the physiological needs, in general, the vast majority of excess magnesium will be excreted from the kidneys, with less excretion in the feces. Elemental lead: 0~100μg/L Lead is a toxic heavy metal that can cause damage to the human nervous system, making the baby show symptoms such as irritability and inattention, interfering with the baby’s skeletal and hematopoietic systems, and in serious cases, even affecting the baby’s kidneys and heart, making intelligence decline. When the baby has insufficient iron, the rate of lead entering the body can be increased 4 to 6 times. Generally, the younger the baby is, the lower the lead level in the body should be. The normal value of lead is 0 to 100ug/L, but generally this check value for babies should preferably not exceed 50ug/L. Car exhaust, lead pens, poor quality toy furniture paint and wall paint, second-hand smoke, batteries, leather eggs, printer ink, etc. contain high levels of lead, so try to expose your baby to these things as little as possible. Fruits rich in vitamin C, such as oranges and grapes, are good for lead excretion; calcium and zinc supplements are also good for lead excretion.