The basics of health are given during childhood and we all want to make the best choices for our children, especially when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. That is why we often ask: is it necessary to supplement the small nutrition with vitamins and minerals? If so, what supplements should I choose? We will continue to answer these questions.
Essential vitamins for child growth
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is essential for a strong immune system, the barrier against viral and bacterial infections. Vitamin E also helps the cardiovascular system, ensuring a normal blood circulation. Children between 4 and 8 years need about 10 IU per day and children between 9 and 13 years of 16 IU each day.
Vitamin B12
The vitamin B group supports many functions of the body, including normal metabolism, cardiovascular health, nervous system development and energy release. For babies, vitamin B12 is particularly important: 1.2 micrograms per day for children up to 8 years and 1.8 micrograms per day for children up to 14 years of age.
Calcium
Bones and teeth need a sufficient intake of calcium to develop optimally. The recommended daily dose is 1000 milligrams per day for children up to 8 years of age and 13,000 milligrams per day for children between 9 and 18 years of age.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps assimilate calcium, but also helps to support the immune system and prevent chronic conditions. Unlike other vitamins and minerals, vitamin D is only available in fewer foods, the main source for humans being sunlight. According to specialists, children should be given a minimum daily dose of 400 IU.
Iron
Iron is involved in the activity of red cells, which transmit oxygen throughout the body. Generally, children need up to 10 milligrams a day of iron, but their needs change in early teens: girls will need more iron than boys because of menstruation.
Omega 3 fish oil for children
Fish oil is known to parents around the world as a useful supplement to child development, especially when it comes to the neurological system. What I do not know, however, is that the little ones actually need Omega 3, an essential fatty acid, usually extracted from fish oil.
Essential fatty acids cannot be produced in sufficient quantities in our body, so it is extremely important, both in childhood and later in life, to make sure we get them from nutrition and quality supplements. The two forms of Omega 3 extracted from fish oil are DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).
Parents' fears when it comes to fish oil are represented by the fact that, in general, fish in the oceans and seas are heavy metal carriers. That's why it's important to choose meat and deep sea fish supplements, preferably small fish, which do not accumulate so many heavy metals that they are dangerous to our health. Indeed, fatty acids have extraordinary benefits for the children's neurological system. The greatest brain development takes place in the first two years of life, then to continue at a slower pace in childhood and adolescence. 60% of our brain's composition is fat, up to 15% being DHA fatty acids. The main role of these acids is closely related to the cognitive functions of the brain: attention, learning, problem-solving, but also sensory and motor functions.
The benefits of Omega 3 for the intellectual performance of children
After this critical period of accelerated development, the brain still needs an optimal dose of Omega 3 fatty acids, especially DHA, to work best. Omega 3 deficiency can cause attention deficit, learning difficulties, memory problems. Therefore, there are recent studies that confirm the benefits of fatty acids for children with disorders such as attention deficit disorder.
After the age of 4-5 years, Omega 3 fatty acids can help the little ones get better performance at school. A number of recent studies have shown that administering DHA supplements has improved reading and writing skills in most of the school children included in the research.
In a study conducted at Oxford University, the evolution of a group of children who received Omega 3 supplements for 4 months was followed. Children who were included in the weakest group according to their reading skills showed improvement after only 3 weeks. In another Bradford research, children helped with supplements with Omega 3 scored 81% better reading, 67% better writing and 74% better math.
Deficiency of vitamin D
Vitamin D is synthesized by the human body in contrast to the sun. That is why it is not surprising that many of us may be deficient in cold souls if we spend too much indoors or suffer from certain conditions that influence the synthesis, assimilation and retention of vitamin D. Although most adults do not show symptoms a deficiency, children often experience cases of bone or muscle pain, as low levels of vitamin D can cause a low level of calcium, which translates into muscle cramps or bone deformities. A severe vitamin D deficiency can promote rickets in children.
For children, there are several categories with increased risk factors for vitamin D deficiency:
- Children with dark skin
- Children who spend a lot of time indoors, on TV or tablet and play very little outside in natural light and sunshine
- Babies born prematurely
- Children who have not been breastfeeding or who have not received enough vitamin D in breast milk (if their mother also suffers from vitamin D deficiency)
- Children with kidney, liver, or digestive disorders that alter how foods are processed
QuattrO3+PS: Superpowers for your child
QuattrO3+PS combines the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids with an essential dose of vitamin D3, supplemented with sunflower phosphatidylserine and maize linolenic acid gamma linoleic acid. One-two capsules administered daily will help optimize your baby's growth during the period of growth and improve his / her intellectual performance.
The fruit flavor of the capsules is a great advantage because it simplifies the administration process: the little ones will not feel the taste during or after administration, and in the case of 4-5-year-old children who swallow the pills with difficulty, the capsule can be broken, and mixed content in food.
