Baby zinc deficiency is a headache for many parents, because zinc deficiency can lead to picky eating and anorexia, which in turn can aggravate the zinc deficiency. If timely intervention is not performed, long-term zinc deficiency can cause It may affect the baby's growth and intellectual development, and also affect the body's resistance, making the baby susceptible to illness. Zinc is one of the necessary elements to maintain the normal growth and development of babies. Only by ensuring sufficient zinc in the body can the health of the baby be ensured. So why do babies suffer from zinc deficiency? Let me tell you the reasons for zinc deficiency.
1. Insufficient intake of zinc: Insufficient zinc intake is the main cause of zinc deficiency in children. The first is pregnancy. If there is a lack of zinc-containing foods in three meals a day during pregnancy, it will inevitably affect the fetus's use of zinc, causing the zinc reserves in the body to be used prematurely. Such children are prone to zinc deficiency symptoms after birth. In addition, if you are not breastfeeding after birth, you are more likely to be deficient in zinc. Breast milk contains much more zinc than ordinary milk. More importantly, its absorption rate is as high as 42%. Therefore, babies fed with milk powder are more likely to be deficient in zinc than babies fed with breast milk. . After supplementary food is added, because most foods contain very low zinc, malnutrition, especially those who lack animal food for a long time, may easily lead to zinc deficiency. All children with long-term parenteral nutrition may also suffer from zinc deficiency due to the lack of zinc in the solutions they consume. This disease is prone to occur; long-term consumption of foods containing too much phytate or fiber can affect the absorption and utilization of zinc.
2. Excessive loss: common in chronic blood loss and hemolysis (there is a large amount of zinc in red blood cells, which is lost as the red blood cells are destroyed): long-term excessive sweating, tissue damage (exudates from wounds and burns contain zinc) ); babies with chronic diarrhea.
3. Increased demand: Due to the rapid growth and development of children, especially infants, which require a relatively large amount of zinc, they are more likely to suffer from zinc deficiency. Premature infants are more likely to suffer from zinc deficiency because Preterm infants have insufficient zinc reserves in their bodies, and due to their rapid growth and development, they are prone to zinc deficiency.
Don’t worry too much when your baby is deficient in zinc. Just intervene in time. You can give your baby more zinc-rich foods such as animal liver, shellfish, oysters, lean meat, crude nutritious foods, and nuts. , eggs and beans, etc., you can also supplement zinc. In addition, when adding complementary foods, let your baby taste a variety of foods instead of eating a lot of a single food. Don't let your baby develop a picky eating habit.