There are a lot of advertisements on TV about zinc supplement for children. After watching it, some parents found that the baby’s hair was yellow, immunity was poor, and appetite was poor. They naturally thought whether zinc was deficient or not, and then took the child to the hospital for trace element examination.
However, the examination results really show that many children [lack zinc]. What’s wrong with this? Quickly supplement all kinds of zinc agents!
However, is your child really zinc deficient? Take a look with Dr. Clove.
Trace Element Detection of Zinc Deficiency Is Unreliable
First of all, I would like to tell you that the detection of trace elements for zinc deficiency is unreliable. At present, there is still a lack of sensitive and specific detection indicators for evaluating zinc nutrition in the world.
- Zinc is not evenly distributed in human body, with more contents in liver, skeletal muscle, skin, hair, nails, etc., but less in blood. The zinc content in adult blood is less than 0.5% of the total, of which plasma accounts for 12-13%. However, plasma zinc is very vulnerable to factors such as diet, infection, growth rate, etc. The fluctuation of plasma zinc can reach 20% within 24 hours, and the concentration reaches a peak at 8: 00 a.m. and drops to a very low level in the evening.
Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other authoritative organizations recommend the combined use of biochemical indicators (zinc content in plasma/serum), zinc content in daily diet and some functional indicators of children’s development (such as whether there is growth retardation) as assessment indicators of zinc deficiency risk.
That is to say, if you want to accurately evaluate whether children are zinc deficient, you can’t make a conclusion by relying solely on a certain index, but you should make a comprehensive judgment based on dietary conditions, development indexes and zinc content in blood.
Therefore, it is not reliable to say that our children [zinc deficiency] just by blood test. Mothers must be confident!
There are not many children with zinc deficiency in China.
The 2000 edition of “Reference Intake of Dietary Nutrients for Chinese Residents” shows that the average recommended daily intake of zinc for preschool children is:
It was 9 mg (mean 7.4 mg) for 1 ~ 3 years old and 12 mg (mean 8.7 mg) for 4 ~ 7 years old
Now it seems that this figure is obviously on the high side.
According to the data of the Fourth National Nutrition Survey in 2002, the average zinc intake of preschool children aged 2-6 is 6.6 mg (there is no updated national survey data at present).
However, because the above 2000 index is referred to, the survey data show that the proportion of zinc deficiency among children in China is quite high, and the result is that many children [are zinc deficient].
At that time, a study showed that the proportion of zinc deficiency in children showed by blood tests reached 44.3%, while another study showed that 62.9% of children had insufficient zinc intake (lower than the average intake).
Many parents are frightened by such data. If their children are picky about food, thin and prone to rashes, they all think that their children belong to the zinc deficiency group.
In 2013, the earth-shattering reversal. (Does it mean that we were wrong for 13 years… crying)
By 2013, the data of < < Chinese residents’ dietary nutrient reference intake > > were updated, and the recommended zinc intake for children was greatly adjusted, with 4 mg (average 3.2 mg) for 1-3 years old and 5.5 mg (average 4.6 mg) for 4-7 years old, which was much lower than the previous recommended intake.
Compared with the new standard, you will find that the general intake level has completely passed the standard! That’s why we say that not many children are really zinc deficient.
The symptoms of zinc deficiency are too indistinguishable.
Common symptoms of zinc deficiency include: taste disorder, partial eating, anorexia or pica; Growth retardation, short stature and emaciation; Diarrhea; Dry skin, rash, poor wound healing, recurrent oral ulcer… What a lot.
However, these symptoms are not special at all. Other diseases may occur. Perhaps the environment, climate and even mood may cause these symptoms. Why should zinc deficiency be the cause?
Besides, the evaluation of growth and development is another complicated project. Dr. Clove will talk about it next time. In fact, there are too many normal children who have been wronged as short and stunted. Parents should not be too brave to evaluate themselves. Let’s give it to a professional doctor.
In the same sentence, judging zinc deficiency from only one aspect is hooliganism!
How do you judge whether a child lacks zinc?
As mentioned earlier, to judge whether zinc is deficient, a number of indicators should be combined, including diet assessment, blood tests, growth and development assessment, etc.
However, the vast majority of children are not zinc deficient and it is not necessary for everyone to do the latter two tests.
Please believe that as long as the diet is balanced and there are no other diseases affecting zinc absorption, children will not lack zinc basically.
Therefore, if you are a little worried about your child’s zinc deficiency, don’t worry about going to the hospital or even taking blood for examination. First, see if the zinc content in your child’s diet is sufficient. This is the simplest and feasible method to evaluate whether your child is zinc deficient.
How to ensure that children eat enough zinc?
Among children with zinc deficiency, insufficient intake of animal foods, insufficient intake of cereals, love of sweets and passive smoking are the main reasons.
According to the survey, about 50% of the dietary zinc sources in China are rice flour and its products, and the animal sources are relatively low.
However, the phytic acid content in cereals is relatively high and the zinc utilization rate is very low. Animal foods such as fish, meat, liver, kidney and shellfish are rich in zinc and have high utilization rate.
Therefore, priority should be given to increasing the intake of animal foods. If the intake is sufficient at ordinary times, there is generally no need to worry too much about zinc deficiency.
In addition, there is a highly toxic heavy metal element in cigarette smoke-cadmium, which will interfere with the absorption and function of zinc in the body. Therefore, parents who suspect their children of zinc deficiency and are worried about it should first carry out anti-smoking campaigns at home and then consider other factors. Smoking is not beneficial at all anyway.
Which children really need zinc supplement?
1. Children with certain illnesses
For example:
- Children with diarrhea (zinc supplement can shorten the course of diarrhea and relieve symptoms); Partial specific premature infants; Children with enteropathic acrodermatitis (a congenital zinc deficiency disease).
2. After professional evaluation, children with zinc deficiency are determined.
If children’s diet is not balanced at ordinary times, intake of red meat, animal viscera and seafood is less, and there is a manifestation of zinc deficiency, zinc deficiency is also found when they go to the hospital for testing, and zinc supplement preparations can be taken under the guidance of professional doctors.
Just want to make up, will it be poisoned?
At present, there are many dosage forms of zinc agents on the market, such as tablets and bottles. If you are really worried about children’s zinc deficiency and want to buy some supplements, it is safe to take them normally according to the instructions.
So, will it be poisoned if you supplement too much? In fact, there is no need to worry too much.
If the intake of zinc is very high, reaching the toxic dose, various toxic symptoms will occur, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and lethargy. Long-term intake of excessive zinc will also affect the metabolism of other trace elements (especially copper).
However, there is a wide range between the normal intake of zinc and the toxic dose, and the human body has a subtle balance mechanism. Generally speaking, the human body is not prone to zinc poisoning.
Since it is unnecessary, Dr. Clove still does not recommend it to be supplemented casually. It is more important to ensure a balanced diet for children.If this is done, don’t worry needlessly.
In a word, raising children is easy to worry about. We still have to pay attention to scientific methods. If nothing happens, don’t find something for ourselves!