Which children are at risk of zinc deficiency?

Zinc deficiency is a serious nutritional problem and is recognized in children globally including developed, developing and underdeveloped countries. Long-term zinc deficiency can lead to growth retardation, reduced immune function, delayed cognitive and motor development, and impact on behavior and learning outcomes.

Although previous studies have mostly focused on pointing out the negative consequences of zinc deficiency related to not providing enough energy and protein for the baby to function during the day.
Today, scientists are increasingly documenting the effects of zinc deficiency in children on the development of immunity, cognitive and motor development. The question is how much zinc do children need in a day and which children are at high risk of zinc deficiency?

While getting enough zinc is important, excess zinc can also have a number of health effects. The table below will provide the maximum amount of zinc that the body can tolerate in 1 day according to each age.

For children in the group of subjects at high risk of zinc deficiency, parents need to pay attention to zinc supplementation for their children appropriately.
2.1. Children older than 6 months but still exclusively breastfed Breast milk provides enough zinc (2mg/day) for the first 4-6 months of life but does not provide the recommended amount of zinc for infants 7-12 months old due to At this time, children need 3 mg/day.
In addition to breast milk, infants aged 7-12 months should be introduced to age-appropriate foods containing zinc or supplemented with zinc-containing formula. Zinc supplementation improves growth in some children with mild to moderate growth impairment.
2.2. Children with diarrhea need zinc supplements Research results show that children with diarrhea have a high risk of zinc deficiency. Therefore, the treatment regimens for children with diarrhea recommended by reputable medical organizations in the world should be supplemented with zinc.
However, some studies have shown the opposite that zinc deficiency also increases the risk of diarrhea in children. The risk of diarrhea in zinc-deficient children is from 1.28 to 1.33%.

2.3. Children with pneumonia need zinc supplements For children who often have pneumonia or are prone to respiratory diseases, parents need to consider supplementing with zinc for their children. Scientists estimate that zinc deficiency increases the risk of pneumonia in young children by 1.52 times.
The study by Bhandari et al (2002), conducted a meta-analysis of the effect of zinc supplementation on pneumonia and concluded that the risk of zinc deficiency pneumonia in young children is 1.69 times.
2.4. Malaria and the risk of zinc deficiency Several studies have demonstrated that zinc supplementation helps prevent recurrent episodes of malaria. In the journal Papua New Guinea in 2000, Shankar et al demonstrated that zinc supplementation reduced malaria outbreaks by 38% in children with malaria, based on monitoring the number of hospitalizations for fever. malaria in children with malaria.
2.5. Zinc increases child mortality It is clear that zinc contributes to an increased risk of disease in children and thereby also increases the risk of death. Although estimates of the risk of death from direct causes of zinc deficiency in children have not been specifically calculated, zinc deficiency increases the risk of zinc deficiency diseases.
Therefore, the scientists suggest that the risk of death from diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria associated with zinc deficiency is 1.28, 1.52 and 1.56 respectively.

Zinc supplements can be through zinc-rich foods or functional foods. Parents should note that adding zinc-rich foods in their child's daily meal, eating a variety of foods can be assured that the baby will receive the necessary amount of zinc in a day because the body has the function of synthesizing vitamins. and micronutrients that the body needs or lacks.
In some cases, babies need to supplement with functional foods. Parents should consult a doctor or nutritionist to know the dose of zinc that the baby should be supplemented with through functional foods.
Please make an appointment on the website for the best service.
Articles refer to sources: webmd.com, who.int