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Child stunting is a nutritional deficiency that includes a lack of energy, protein, lipids and micronutrients. The disease is common in children under 5 years old, especially children under 3 years old.
Video content is professionally consulted by Doctor Pediatric Center - Vinmec Times City International Hospital
1. What substance lacks in the body that makes children malnourished?
Doctor Children's Center, Vinmec Times City General Hospital said that there are many causes, in which nutritional deficiencies are the main factors that cause stunting in children. Especially lack of micronutrients such as iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium.
Iron deficiency is the most common cause of child malnutrition worldwide. Iron deficiency leads to anemia in children.
Zinc is proven to play an especially important role in the development of children. Zinc helps maintain and protect taste and smell cells. Zinc helps children eat better, increases absorption, increases protein synthesis and cell division, enhances resistance and fights infections.
Parents can supplement zinc for children through foods such as shrimp, crab, oysters, clams, beef, chicken, cereal grains, cheese...
Vitamin A plays an important role in the process. growth, helping children develop normally. Without vitamin A, children will have anorexia, stunted growth, stunted growth, and malnutrition. For infants, the best source of vitamin A is breast milk. For children of the age of weaning and older, it is necessary to eat a lot of foods rich in vitamin A such as carrots, broccoli, sweet potato, papaya,...
Vitamin B is an essential vitamin of the body, vitamin B keeps a It plays an important role in metabolism, the activities and development of the nervous system as well as other organs in the body including the skin and hair. Lack of vitamin B causes children to be tired, anorexic, slow to grow,... Parents can supplement B vitamins through foods such as avocado, liver, eggs, peanuts; dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, asparagus...
Vitamin D plays an important role in the development of children's bones and teeth. Vitamin D participates in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestines and kidneys, and regulates the synthesis and secretion of important hormones. In addition, vitamin D also plays a role in the immune system of children. Breast milk does not provide enough vitamin D for babies, so breastfed babies need a daily vitamin D supplement. Children if not provided with enough vitamin D will affect the development of bones, because bone and cartilage are not fully calcified, cartilage develops abnormally, deformed bones, growth retardation, rickets and weak resistance.
Calcium deficiency: Children will be slow to grow, small and weak bones easily lead to rickets, poor tooth quality, easy decay and uneven teeth. Children often cry at night, often startled and irritable. To prevent stunting in children, parents need to pay attention to:
Provide adequate food and food for children, ensure nutritional value and balance groups of substances in the diet. For severely malnourished children, increase maximum fat according to recommended needs. Breastfeed your baby immediately after birth and continue for 18-24 months. Take care of children with reasonable meals: practice introducing solids from 6 months of age, feeding them with all 4 groups of nutrients (glucid, lipid, protein, vitamin). Follow the child through the growth chart. Ensure food hygiene and safety: choose fresh food, limit children's use of processed and canned foods, ensure cooked food and drink boiling. Thoroughly prevent and treat infections, ensure adequate nutrition during illness and restore nutrition after illness. Vaccinations and deworming for children periodically.
2. Supplementing with adequate nutrients to limit the status of malnourished children with stunting
Doctor Do Thi Phuong Linh also shared: In addition to the above measures, currently, the use of alternative products with additional micronutrients and functional foods is being sought by many parents to contribute. improve stunting in children. Parents should supplement children with essential micro-minerals such as iron, zinc, lysine, chromium, selenium, vitamin B1, vitamin D, calcium... to fully meet the child's nutritional needs and support digestion, enhance the ability to absorb nutrients, strengthen the immune system, strengthen resistance to prevent malnutrition and stunting.
However, when choosing complementary products for children, you need to know how much your child's age needs? How many needs does a child's diet meet? After that, it is decided whether to supplement with micronutrients for children or not and which type to supplement.
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