Micronutrient supplements for children: Not all supplements are good

May cause adverse effects

Boy NXP (living in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City) is 10 years old but only weighs 22kg and is 114cm tall. Worried that his child is not as tall as his peers, his mother asked relatives abroad to buy calcium supplements to help increase his height. However, after three months of use, not only did the child not grow taller, but he gained 3kg and became afraid and worried when his parents forced him to take those drugs. After taking the child to the doctor for examination and tests, and consulting with a doctor, P.'s parents realized that they had accidentally caused the child to have excess nutrients, which more or less affected the child's overall development.

Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor Huynh Thi Vu Quynh (University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City) examines children

Associate Professor, Doctor Huynh Thi Vu Quynh, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, said that currently, there are widespread advertisements on the internet for height-increasing drugs imported from the US, Japan, etc. with the promise of helping children improve their height significantly in a short time, even increasing the height of adults. Some parents, because they are too worried when seeing their children develop slowly compared to their peers, have arbitrarily bought these functional foods for their children to use. "Not to mention whether these functional foods help children increase their height "miraculously" as advertised, but giving children functional foods without the advice of medical experts can easily lead to children having excess nutrients," Associate Professor, Doctor Huynh Thi Vu Quynh noted.

According to Dr. Do Thi Ngoc Diep, Vice President of the Vietnam Nutrition Association, most parents often buy imported supplements based on their own experience without knowing what their children lack or have in excess to supplement accurately. This point of view is completely wrong, greatly affecting children later on. "Although only a very small amount of micronutrients is needed each day, they play an extremely important role in the body. A deficiency or excess of micronutrients can lead to negative impacts on the health and development of children," Dr. Do Thi Ngoc Diep informed.

Dr. Do Thi Ngoc Diep cited that if children lack iron, it can lead to anemia, reduce resistance and make children tired and less focused in studying. Vitamin A deficiency can cause dry eyes and weaken the immune system, increasing the risk of infection. In addition, a lack of calcium or vitamin D can increase the risk of rickets and reduce bone development. On the contrary, excess micronutrients also cause serious side effects such as: excess vitamin A can lead to poisoning, damage the liver and cause digestive disorders; excess calcium can cause kidney stones and reduce the ability to absorb other nutrients...

Supplement correctly, sufficiently and regularly

Nutrition experts say that there are many reasons why children lack micronutrients: the child's body is growing, with high micronutrient needs; children are often sick, especially with infections, which also increases the need for micronutrients; due to parasitic infections... But the main reason is still due to a lack of diverse food intake, not changing dishes, consuming a lot of processed industrial food, being lazy or picky eaters. In particular, not only thin children are at risk of micronutrient deficiencies, but children with normal weight, even overweight and obese children, can still lack micronutrients. The signs of micronutrient deficiencies are often unclear and easily confused.

Doctors from Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital examine and provide nutritional advice to children

Children with micronutrient deficiencies often show signs of: frequent illness, susceptibility to diarrhea, rhinitis, prolonged sore throat, slow weight gain, anorexia, slow or no growth in height, crying at night, night sweats, pale skin, dry hair, brittle nails, rickets, deformities in bones and rib cage, slow intellectual development... When detecting the above signs, many parents are often worried and rush to supplement micronutrients for their children. However, not all parents know how to supplement them adequately and properly...

“Supplementing micronutrients correctly, sufficiently and regularly is an important factor in protecting children's health. The best way to supplement micronutrients is through daily nutrition. Each nutritional supplement product on the market has its pros and cons; there are cases where children should supplement, but there are cases where they cannot due to accompanying medical conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to take children to see a nutritionist to determine exactly what micronutrients are needed to be supplemented appropriately,” Dr. Do Thi Ngoc Diep recommends.

According to a study by the Southeast Asian Nutrition Organization published in 2023, Vietnamese children's daily meals lack up to 50% of their micronutrient needs, mainly iron and zinc. A report from the National Institute of Nutrition also shows that up to 60% of children under 5 years old are zinc deficient, and 1 in 3 children are iron deficient.

MINH NAM

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/bo-sung-vi-chat-cho-tre-khong-phai-cu-bo-la-tot-post791816.html