According to data, about 60% of children in China have zinc deficiency. Inadequate zinc intake in growing children can directly affect their physical and intellectual development. Why are children zinc deficient? What are the symptoms of zinc deficiency? And how to supplement it? Let’s spread the knowledge for mothers today! What are the causes of zinc deficiency? 1. Unbalanced diet and inadequate intake Compared to animal foods such as meat, eggs and milk, plant foods such as cereals contain less zinc, so vegetarians are prone to zinc deficiency. Pregnant mothers and lactating mothers also need more zinc, if the intake is not enough, it can lead to zinc deficiency of the mother and fetus; if the whole gastrointestinal nutrition does not add zinc or add zinc insufficiently, it can lead to serious zinc deficiency; when infection, fever, zinc needs increase; appetite decreased, the amount of intake reduced, easy to cause zinc deficiency. 2, malabsorption of various causes of diarrhea, can reduce the absorption of zinc, especially chronic diarrhea, such as malabsorption syndrome, steatorrhea, crop gland cystic fibrosis, etc.. Cereals contain a lot of phytates and crude fiber, which hinder the absorption of zinc. At the same time, if you eat fine foods regularly, you will also consume zinc. 3, too much zinc loss repeated blood loss, hemolysis, trauma, burns can cause a large amount of zinc loss with body fluids; liver stiffness, chronic uremia due to hypoalbuminemia caused by hyperzincuria, some drugs such as long-term application of metal chelators (such as penicillamine, etc.) and repeated intravenous injection of glutamate, combined with zinc from the urinary excretion, can cause zinc deficiency. Genetic defects such as enteropathic acrodermatitis is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disease, due to defective absorption of zinc in the small intestine, resulting in reduced zinc content in the body, reduced plasma (clear) zinc, erythrocyte zinc, muscle zinc and urine zinc, skin damage on the extremities, intractable diarrhea, baldness and growth disorders, reduced immunity and susceptibility to infection. What are the symptoms of zinc deficiency in children? 1. Loss of appetite, picky eating, anorexia, refusal to eat, and in older children, lack of hunger. 2, omnivorous, love to eat strange things, such as nail biting, chewing toys, eating hair, paper, dirt, etc. 3, growth retardation, height 3-6 cm lower than the same age group, weight 2-3 kg lighter. 4.Low immunity, frequent colds and fevers, repeated respiratory infections. 5, hyperactivity, slow reaction, inattentiveness, poor learning ability. 6, skin and hair abnormalities: the skin is prone to infection and pus, the baby is prone to eczema, rash, herpes; hair thinning yellow, lack of luster, nails are not smooth, nails appear white spots, fingers long barbs, burns wounds do not heal easily, etc. 7, abnormal immune function: when trauma occurs, wounds do not heal easily, prone to dermatitis, stubborn eczema, etc., recurring mouth ulcers. How to give zinc to your baby Before giving zinc to your baby, you should not just look at the symptoms, but clarify whether it is a zinc deficiency. The wisest thing to do is to go to the hospital to have a blood zinc test and listen to the doctor’s diagnosis. Zinc supplementation should not be taken indiscriminately! For people who are not zinc deficient, additional zinc supplementation may cause excess zinc in the body, which may lead to metabolic disorders and even damage to the brain, resulting in memory loss. In addition, too much zinc in the body may inhibit the body’s absorption of iron and copper, and cause iron deficiency anemia. Moreover, experts suggest that when zinc deficiency is not serious, medicinal supplements are better than dietary supplements. So, what is the right supplement? 1, according to the baby’s age to supplement zinc Chinese Nutrition Society recommends the daily requirement of zinc: 3 mg for newborn-6 months old babies; 5 mg for 7-12 months old babies; 10 mg for 1-3 years old children; 20 mg for pregnant mothers; 20 mg for lactating mothers; 10-15 mg for normal adults. 2, infants rely on breast milk for zinc supplementation The absorption rate of zinc in breast milk is high, up to 62%. Especially colostrum has high zinc content, the average concentration is 4-7 times of serum zinc. After weaning, supplement with zinc-rich foods such as beef, mutton, lean pork, animal liver, peanuts, soybeans, carrots, oysters, etc. It has been determined that the zinc content of animal food is higher than that of plant food, and the amino acids produced by the decomposition of animal protein can promote the absorption of zinc, and the absorption rate is generally about 50%; while the zinc contained in plant food can combine with phytic acid and cellulose to form water-insoluble compounds, thus preventing the body from absorbing it, and the absorption rate is only about 20%. After the baby has added complementary foods, you can start to add zinc-rich complementary foods that can be easily absorbed: lean ground meat, egg yolk, fish puree, animal liver, oysters, peanut rice powder, walnut powder, etc. 4. Children’s zinc supplementation depends on a balanced diet. Children over 5 years old can get enough zinc from food. Therefore, it is important to educate children from an early age to develop good habits of not being picky and not being partial to food, and to pay attention to a reasonable and balanced diet structure with a mixture of coarse and fine grains. This way, the child will not be deficient in zinc. You should also be careful not to let your child eat too much sugar and sweets, as this may affect the absorption of zinc. Zinc drugs should never be taken as a universal “nutritional tonic” and applied for a long time. Many mothers choose to take zinc supplements for their babies because they think they will work fast. However, it is important to remind mothers that zinc sulfate syrup or zinc gluconate should only be given to babies who have been diagnosed as having a significant zinc deficiency under the guidance of a doctor. Generally, the medication should not be used for a limited period of time, not more than 2-4 months, and should be stopped in time after the review is normal. The effective dose of zinc is very small in relation to the toxic dose, and improper use can lead to overdose and induce a series of diseases such as iron deficiency, copper deficiency and anemia. Note: In order to facilitate absorption, it is best to take zinc orally 1 to 2 hours before meals. Zinc supplementation should be accompanied by increased protein intake and treatment of iron deficiency anemia to improve zinc deficiency more quickly. Whether or not zinc and calcium supplementation can be taken at the same time experts say that calcium supplementation depends on the specific situation of the child. Generally speaking, as long as the child does not have a partial diet and has a balanced diet, he or she does not need additional zinc supplementation. However, for infants and young children who are growing fast, the need for calcium, iron and zinc increases, so many parents put calcium and zinc together for convenience. However, the absorption principles of calcium and zinc are very similar, so supplementation at the same time can easily cause them to “compete” with each other and be constrained. Therefore, it is best to take these two micronutrients separately. When supplementing zinc, it is important to separate it from calcium preparations and also from calcium-rich milk and shrimp. The best order for supplementing these two trace elements is “zinc first and calcium second”, with zinc supplementation during the day and calcium supplementation at night for better absorption. Zinc is one of the trace elements that are excreted through sweat in the body. In the process of growth and development, children have a high demand for zinc, and a lot of sweating can cause excessive zinc loss, especially in summer. The incidence of zinc deficiency is significantly higher in sweaty children than in normal children, and the World Health Organization recommends a daily intake of 1 mg of zinc for children under 10 years of age. Children with a normal diet and no disease can basically achieve this daily intake of zinc from their diet. Children who sweat a lot can increase their intake of zinc-rich foods such as oysters, lean meat, fish and shrimp and animal offal. Supplementation of zinc-rich foods 1. Breast milk is a very good food for zinc supplementation Breast milk contains zinc to promote infant growth and development, especially colostrum contains a large amount of zinc. Children who are artificially fed need to add supplementary foods on time and pay attention to the supplementation of zinc-rich foods. The highest zinc-rich foods are shellfish such as oysters, oysters, scallops and clams, followed by meat such as beef, lamb and lean pork, etc. In addition, egg yolk, peanuts and carrots are also rich in zinc. Animal offal, eggs, nuts, edible mushrooms, lean meat, beans, fish, etc. are all rich in zinc; green vegetables are also rich in zinc, with celery being richer in zinc. 3. Over-processing of food can damage zinc. Control the heat when cooking food to reduce zinc loss. Iron, calcium, phosphorus, copper and other components of food are easily destroyed by cooking at high temperatures.