Does slow weight gain affect children's intelligence?

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Slow weight gain not only causes children to be underweight, slow to grow but also one of the causes of mental retardation in children. Parents need to understand the reasons why children are slow to gain weight in order to have timely and effective interventions.

1. What are the potential risks of slow weight gain?

1.1 Children are more susceptible to diseases When the child's body is weakened by not being provided with the necessary nutrients, the child is at risk of being attacked by microorganisms, susceptible to diseases of respiratory and digestive infections. diarrhea,... When suffering from these diseases, children often do not have the strength to fight the disease, causing the disease to last for a long time. Because the disease lasts longer, the child becomes more tired, eats poorly, and the slow weight gain will become more severe.
1.2 Children with delayed physical development Children with delayed weight gain are at risk of physical retardation. Lack of nutrients causes slow growth of the body's organs, including the musculoskeletal system. This will affect the stature of the child. Slow weight gain is especially serious if the child has this condition in the period 1 - 3 years old because this is the period when the baby develops rapidly and needs to provide many nutrients.
1.3 Mental retardation in children Prolonged delay in weight gain can lead to increasingly serious malnutrition in children. The lack of substances necessary for brain and intelligence such as fat, iron, sugar, DHA, taurine, iodine, ... can affect the development of children. At the same time, the body of anorexic children is always in a state of fatigue, unable to concentrate and think. Children are often slow, lethargic, poor social communication, reduced ability to learn and absorb.

2. Causes of slow weight gain in children

Causes of delayed weight gain in children of different age groups are usually:
Before birth (causing fetal malnutrition, low birth weight): Premature birth, infection during pregnancy, mother smoking or drinking alcohol, continued exposure to drugs or chemicals that cause fetal growth retardation, birth defects of the fetus; Newborn (under 1 month old): Poor suckling ability, improper breastfeeding, forced suckling, wrong milk mixing, babies with birth defects or diseases affecting digestion and absorption of nutrients nutrition; 3 - 6 months of age: Children are not fed properly, are not properly mixed milk, are intolerant of milk proteins, have oral diseases, gastroesophageal reflux disease or congenital malformations; 7 - 12 months old: Choose foods that are not suitable for the age and taste of the child, introduce solid foods late after 6 months of age, do not patiently practice giving them new foods, children have oral diseases - pharynx or pharynx or intestinal parasites; From over 12 months old and older children: Children lose concentration when eating, get sick, enjoy playing, experience psychological trauma in the family, have social problems (difficult economic conditions, customs restriction of certain foods,...), swallowing disorders, psychological disorders,...

3. Solutions to help children gain weight and grow up fast

To avoid the risk of mental retardation in children due to slow weight gain, parents need to pay attention to the following:
Diversify and balance the child's diet with a rich menu and constantly change dishes to stimulate love children's appetite. Children with slow weight gain are encouraged to eat more vegetables, tubers, fruits, meat, fish, cheese, cereals, nuts and drink milk,... to grow up faster. Foods rich in DHA, omega - 3, omega - 6, taurine, choline,... are good choices. At the same time, parents should divide meals during the day so that children can absorb nutrients in the best way; Deworming periodically every 6 months because worms are the cause of children not absorbing many nutrients in food, leading to stunting and growth retardation; Guide children to exercise moderately and properly with age-appropriate exercises such as jogging, swimming, cycling, playing ball,... Exercises that both help children strengthen their health and develop their dimensions taller and better weight;

Supplementing vitamins, minerals and trace elements lacking for children. The substances that should be supplemented for children include: Calcium, vitamin D3, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, ... to support strong bones, teeth, intellectual development and limit the risk of rickets in children. In particular, parents should note that if a child has the following signs, they should take the child to a nutritionist:
Vomiting, regurgitation, diarrhea, chewing food (before swallowing again); Fear or refusal of certain foods can be a sign of a chewing or swallowing disorder; Not eating or being afraid of a certain food group can be a sign of a food intolerance or allergy; Drinking a lot of water or juice also makes children eat less solid foods, causing nutrient deficiencies; Children on a diet. In addition, the baby needs to add the necessary micronutrients: Zinc, selenium, chromium, vitamins B1 and B6, ginger, acerola fruit extract (vitamin C),... to improve taste, eat well, achieve height, weight are correct and exceed standards, good immune system, enhanced resistance to less sickness and less digestive problems.
Also according to leading nutrition experts, parents need to be calm and persistent when supplementing with nutrients for children, even through eating or functional foods. In particular, the use of functional foods should choose those of natural origin that are easily absorbed, do not allow simultaneous use of many types or continuously change the types of functional foods. Besides, nutritionists also emphasize on the role of biological zinc; Parents should learn and supplement zinc for children properly at the appropriate time, to avoid zinc deficiency affecting the comprehensive development of children.
Slow weight gain not only makes children deficient in nutrients necessary for physical development, but it also has negative effects on the intellectual development of the baby. To avoid the risk of mental retardation in children due to slow weight gain, parents need to pay attention to improve their baby's nutrition and take them to a doctor if necessary for advice on effective intervention solutions.
In addition to zinc, parents also need to supplement their children with other important vitamins and minerals such as lysine, chromium, B vitamins,... errands.
To have more knowledge about raising children and taking care of children by age, you should regularly visit the website https://vinmec.com and make an appointment with the leading doctors, pediatric experts - Nutrition when visiting the website https://vinmec.com need advice.