Determination of zinc nutritional status in infants and young children Infants and young children aged 6 to 24 months are at high risk of zinc deficiency, mainly due to the very rapid growth and development in the first two years of life and the rapid increase in body weight, which requires large amounts of zinc. It is generally believed that the balance of zinc metabolism can be roughly maintained in full-term newborns during the first 6 months of life, on the one hand, due to the high storage of zinc in the infant’s body and the high zinc content in colostrum. However, after 6 months, infants need to obtain zinc supplementation through the addition of complementary foods, and zinc-rich foods include refined animal meat, offal, and animal blood. However, preterm or low birth weight infants may be zinc deficient early in life due to insufficient zinc reserves at birth and postnatal catch-up growth, which requires more zinc than full-term healthy infants. Children with recurrent diarrhea, infections, and fever are also at high risk for zinc deficiency due to increased zinc loss. Zinc supplements should be given early in the postnatal period, at 3 mg of zinc per day up to 6 months of age, increasing to 5 mg after 6 months, or 1 mg per kg of body weight per day if there is a significant deficiency.