How does slow weight gain affect children's intelligence?

Video content is professionally consulted by Doctor Pediatric Center - Vinmec Times City General Hospital

According to the sharing of doctors, the most noticeable in children with slow weight gain is that their resistance will be lower than their peers. Due to a lack of nutrients, the body is not able to produce the necessary antibodies, the immune system is weakened, leading to the body being easily attacked by viruses and bacteria. The likelihood of common diseases in children with slow weight gain is much higher than in children with a standard weight.
Second, children with slow weight gain are often accompanied by small and weak stature. The muscular and skeletal systems do not have enough nutrients to develop, leading to limited mobility. In the process of playing and exercising, children quickly feel tired and depressed, and their body's endurance is poor.
Third, affects brain development. This is the most serious effect of a child's nutritional deficiencies and underweight. During the period of development, the child's brain needs a lot of nutrients to develop comprehensively. Especially in the period from 1 to 7 years old, although the body has not yet developed, but the child's brain is almost equal to that of an adult, so if the child is slow to gain weight due to a deficiency in nutrients during this time, , children's intelligence will be very seriously affected.

Specifically, the nutrients that most affect the child's brain development include zinc, iron, lysine, calcium... In particular, nutrition experts highly appreciate the role of zinc in the development of children. Zinc is involved in brain development in all major biochemical pathways and plays many roles in the survival of genetic material, especially neurotransmitters. Zinc is concentrated in the nervous system, accounting for about 1.5% of the total amount of zinc in the whole body, helping to stabilize nerve cell activity, maintain brain development, intelligence, memory and reduce stress anxiety. If the body is deficient in zinc, especially in children, the ability to think and remember will be significantly reduced
In addition to zinc, other important micronutrients affecting brain development such as calcium, iron, iodine... because it directly participates in the process of constituting the cerebral cortex, the lobes of the brain, determining the IQ in children.
Micronutrients play an important role in the physical and mental development of children. Micronutrients, vitamins and minerals participate in the process of hematopoiesis, create skeletal muscle, form neural chains, promote the formation of important organs, especially the brain and cerebral cortex. . Lack of a nutrient can also hinder the absorption of the remaining substances, so special attention should be paid to timely supplementation.
For children in the growing stage, important substances and nutrients that need regular supplementation are calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium, choline, vitamins A, vitamin E, vitamin C, and B vitamins. , vitamin D ...
Food needs a complete and balanced combination of carbohydrates, proteins (proteins) fats (lipids) and fiber...
Micronutrients and a number of amino acids are available In daily food, parents should use the richest menu possible for their baby. The lack of micronutrients causes many consequences such as making children anorexia, stunting, growth retardation, intellectual and cognitive underdevelopment... If the food source is not enough for the child, parents can Supplements from functional foods as advised by a doctor.
Note that only parents should use functional foods that have been researched, proven results and are absolutely safe for children. Do not use floating products, poor quality on the market, easy to cause side effects for children.