Zinc Vitamins For Kids

Can a child take zinc?

Yes, a child could take zinc whether as naturally sourced from nutritious food or from a vitamin supplement.

What are the benefits that kids get when they take zinc on a daily basis?

Scientific data have discovered that kids taking an appropriate amount of zinc daily helps keep them away from sicknesses that can be acquired from various viruses and bacteria.

Zinc also fortifies their capacity to heal from wounds and injuries faster and at a better quality of recovery.

Zinc as a trace mineral, is also instrumental to the proper formation of your children’s brain. It is also supportive for the proper functioning of their senses of smell, sight and taste and prevents cell damage that could lead to the development of cancer and heart disease in them.
You would say that the above benefits would already convince you to make zinc as a regular part of your kids’ diet and supplement regimen, but there are more.

Zinc also aids in the proper formation and development of their reproductive system. It is also instrumental in assisting the children in protein and DNA production and also helps in their attainment of a healthy height and weight.

A study in Guatemala that made use of 3 years of zinc supplementation for kids (3 months to 36 months in age) involved in the research, discovered that it resulted into an average of nearly 1 inch in additional height growth.

How much zinc should kids take every day?

Most pediatricians would recommend that kids from 7 months of age until they reach their 4th birthday, they could take 3 mg of zinc per day. There is no recommended dosage of zinc for children under 7 months of age, but the Guatemalan study above showed that kids as young as 3 months could take zinc supplementation and reap benefits.

As a matter fact, zinc could be found in small amounts in breast milk.

Children from 4 to 8 years old are advised to consume 5 mg of zinc daily and those between 9 to 13, 8 mg quantity of zinc is recommended.

Who should you follow when it comes to your kids’ zinc intake?

Your kids’ pediatrician should be the medical professional who will have the last say when it comes to their zinc intake.
The above suggested zinc quantity for the different age segments of kids are merely recommendations, and most scientists today are not yet sure where to draw the line between zinc deficiency and too much zinc in your kids.

What’s the effect of zinc deficiency?

A zinc deficiency could lead to delays in the development of your kids. It has caused slower height and weight growth, more infections and colds, learning disabilities, stunted memory and inferior attention span.
Zinc deficiency is a problem in developing countries. For example, in Thailand, 70 percent of all children of school age lack zinc nutrition.
In the US, it is estimated that 10 percent of boys and 6 percent of girls are zinc deficient. 50 percent of children who belong to families below the poverty line and 30 percent of kids coming from families with better incomes have zinc deficiency. There are 16 key nutrients and zinc is the nutrient wherein the children are most lacking in.

What’s the effect of too much zinc in your kids?

Documented evidence have shown that kids who have consumed more zinc than they need complain of an unexplainable taste in their mouth. They also suffer from vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.

What are the natural sources of zinc?

Oysters, shellfish, red meat, pork, poultry, fish and plant and grain-based options (mushrooms, potatoes with skin, beans, etc) are natural sources of zinc. A small quantity of zinc is also found in breast milk.
Take for instance, for your under 4-year-old kids, give them each an 8 ounce carton of yogurt (1.7 mg zinc) and an ounce of cashews (1.6 mg zinc) which fulfills the 3 mg daily zinc requirement for under 4 year old kids.
For your 4- to 8-year-old children who need 5 mg of zinc daily, you could get it from a 3-ounce serving of lobster (3.4 mg zinc) and an ounce of cashews (1.6 mg zinc).
To get the 8 mg daily zinc requirement for your 9- to 13-year-old children, you give them each a cup of milk, a slice of Swiss cheese or a packet of instant oatmeal for breakfast (good for 1 mg of zinc). Then for lunch, let them each eat a 3-ounce serving of beef roast which supplies 7 mg of zinc. For a total of 8 mg daily zinc requirement.
But these are all easier said than done because as we all know, kids these days are picky eaters, and you would be lucky if they like all the food that we recommend here.

What if these natural sources of zinc are not available or are not permitted to be consumed because of diet and allergy considerations and also because of lack of appetite of the kids?
There are kids who are extremely picky eaters. There are also those who belong to families which are vegan and also those who simply can’t find these natural sources of zinc in their community. And also, there are kids who are allergic to certain foods which contain zinc.
To get around these health challenges, the parents might consider giving them zinc vitamins for kids either as stand alone or in multivitamin form. What’s important is that their nutritional gaps are being filled out.

Would zinc and vitamin C be a good combination to give to your kids?

Yes, it is very beneficial to your children. It is very effective in curing a common condition called runny nose (scientific name is rhinorrhea which is the free flowing discharge of a thin nasal mucus fluid), with just over 5 days of treatment. The Zinc and vitamin C tandem has proven to be an efficacious measure against this infectious viral disease.