Zinc is known as the “flower of life, the source of intelligence” is the catalyst of many biochemical reactions in the human body, is the commander of the baby’s growth and development. Zinc is involved in the biological activity of more than 200 enzymes and the metabolism of more than 80 enzymes, without zinc there is no human metabolism.
I. The role of zinc
Zinc, the second most abundant mineral in the body, is an essential nutrient required by the human body, with diverse and important roles.
Zinc is an important component of neurological factors; it promotes the development and maturation of the reproductive gonads (so important for the male reproductive system that adult men’s zinc needs are 40% higher than those of women); it helps salivary proteins maintain a normal sense of taste and promotes appetite; it promotes vitamin A anabolism, which helps It also promotes the secretion of growth hormones and immune factors.
What is zinc deficiency in children?
In January 2005, the relevant departments released the “Survey Report on the Health Status of Children Aged 0-6 in Ten Cities in China”, which pointed out that the intake of magnesium, copper, calcium, iron and zinc is insufficient in some children’s age groups, among which the worst item to meet the standard is zinc, and the proportion of zinc-deficient infants and children reached 39%.
So what are the conditions that lead to zinc deficiency? Zinc deficiency in children is usually caused by these reasons.
1. insufficient intake, insufficient zinc intake during pregnancy tends to lead to low zinc reserves in the fetus and insufficient zinc intake during breastfeeding tends to lead to insufficient zinc intake in the infant.
2, increased demand, the rapid growth and development of zinc demand increased, but the body reserves are not enough to lead to zinc deficiency.
3, unreasonable dietary structure leads to, too much plant food, too little intake of zinc-rich meat food easy to zinc deficiency.
4, excessive loss, chronic sweating and chronic diarrhea predispose to zinc deficiency.
5, absorption disorders, excessive absorption of calcium, iron dietary fiber and phytic acid, which should also inhibit zinc absorption
6, other factors, genetic defects, lead poisoning, passive smoking leading to increased intake of cadmium affecting zinc absorption.
Third, the symptoms of zinc deficiency in babies
1. Loss of appetite: picky eating, anorexia, refusal to eat, general reduction in food intake, children do not feel hungry and do not take the initiative to eat;
2. Eating strange things indiscriminately. For example: biting nails, clothing, chewing toys, hard objects, eating hair, confetti, raw rice, wall dust, mud, sand and gravel, etc.;
3, slow growth, height 3-6 cm lower than the same age group, weight 2-3 kg lighter;
4, low immunity, frequent colds and fevers, recurrent respiratory infections such as tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, sweating, sleep sweats, etc.;
5, white spots on the nails, long barbs on the fingers, map tongue (irregular red and white graphics on the surface of the tongue);
6, hyperactivity, slow reaction, inattention, poor learning ability;
7, vision problems: vision loss, easily lead to night vision difficulties, myopia, farsightedness, astigmatism, etc.;
8, skin damage: trauma, wounds do not easily heal; prone to dermatitis, stubborn eczema;
9, delayed sexual development during puberty.
10.Recurrent mouth ulcers.
Fourth, these conditions are not necessarily a zinc deficiency
These years, because of various publicity, mothers pay great attention to the intake of calcium, iron, zinc and other trace elements, and also understand some related knowledge. Once the baby has any symptoms, they will immediately associate it with zinc deficiency.
However, the following conditions are not absolutely causally related to zinc deficiency, so when these symptoms are present, it does not mean that the child is zinc deficient.
1. Not eating well: Sometimes it is the subjective judgment of parents that their children do not want to eat. Maybe the child has already eaten enough, or has eaten many snacks before leading to a meal, but in the parents’ opinion, the child does not like to eat. Occasionally not eating does not mean zinc deficiency.
2. Sweating: Babies and children have a large water content in their skin, a fast metabolism, and an incomplete development of their plant nerves, so they are prone to sweating when they move. Sweating is not a symptom of zinc deficiency, but too much sweating for a long time will cause zinc deficiency.
3, often chew nails: the mother should reflect on the child’s upbringing, security is sufficient to lead to this bad habit.
4.Low and yellow hair: The amount of hair of the child is related to the hair follicles. After the age of 1, the hair follicles develop rapidly and the hair will naturally grow well. It has nothing to do with zinc deficiency.
5, barb: finger long barb is due to the nail around the cuticle is too dry peeling occurred, so the formation of barbs; wash clean minus apply moisturizer can be.
6.The child’s diet structure is not reasonable, less intake of dairy, meat, fish, seafood, etc., and partial vegetarian diet, only then should zinc deficiency be considered.
V. Children with possible zinc deficiency
Babies whose mother’s zinc intake is insufficient during pregnancy, premature babies, and babies with frequent diarrhea may have zinc deficiency due to impaired nutritional intake.
Zinc supplements are available for babies with clear zinc deficiency, but they must be taken under the guidance of a professional doctor. Do not increase the dose at your own discretion, as too high a dose can cause symptoms of digestive tract irritation such as nausea, vomiting and stomach discomfort, and long-term high doses may also cause zinc poisoning.
When the symptoms disappear, you should stop to prevent overdose, try to get it from your daily diet, prevention is better than cure, advocate breastfeeding, insist on a balanced diet, cultivate good eating habits of your baby, and prevent bad behavior of picky and partial eating are the main measures to prevent zinc deficiency.
In fact, the best time for zinc supplementation should start before the baby is born. The pregnant mother should pay attention to a balanced diet and eat more zinc-rich foods in her daily diet. If the mother is aware of this, she can continue to get sufficient zinc from herself to after the baby is born.