Nutritional status of infants and young children and infant formula products.

Ren Yuhong reporter
Nutrition is the most important material basis in the growth and development of infants and young children, if infants and young children can not get enough calories and various nutrients from the outside world, it will lead to a series of nutritional problems. At present, the issue of child nutrition remains a major public problem that plagues countries around the world, particularly in developing countries. There is literature showing that one in three children under the age of five is malnourished. In China, through the continuous introduction of relevant policy documents and various documents to ensure the implementation of measures, from 1990 to 2010, China's low body weight and growth retardation rate of children under 5 years of age from 7.4% and 31.3% to 3.4% and 9.4%, respectively. However, due to the imbalance between maternal and child health work and economic and social development in China, there is still a big gap between urban and rural areas..The new concept of "1000 days early in life" is receiving more and more attention. From a mother's pregnancy to the birth of a child, breastfeeding and the addition of complementary foods after that, the time is about 1000 days. In the early life of 1000 days, not only the body tissue in the growth, but also the formation of the body's internal regulation of the state, it has an important impact on the whole life process, health trends. Problems at this stage, such as intra-fetal stunting, low or excessive birth weight, nutritional deficiencies after birth, excessive over-feeding and excessive weight gain, can lead to long-term health risks, including obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, osteoporosis, etc. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that babies between 0 and 6 months of age be breastfed. After 6 months, breast-feeding should also be maintained as far as possible, and add complementary foods until the age of 2, but also pay attention to add the quality and quantity of complementary foods, if not done well at this stage, may cause infants and young children to eat., "In fact, breast milk itself is a gold ratio, the best food for infants and young children, " said Li Wenjun, a teacher at Nestle's School of Nutrition. However, many mothers do not have enough breast milk, so the heavy use of formula and milk mixed feeding patterns, which result in obesity in young children, that is, the challenge of breastfeeding, but also in the creation of children growing up with the possibility of chronic diseases. Therefore, in the face of such a situation, infant formula enterprises have a long way to go. Formula enterprises should pay attention to the situation and needs of children with insufficient breast milk, carry out corresponding research, analyze the nutritional status of children in China, and provide reference for the development of targeted child nutrition interventions.", malnutrition and obesity persist among children under 5 years of age in rural and urban areas. And malnutrition, anaemia and other problems in urban and rural areas are significantly different, so China's infant formula industry is facing a double burden. In this regard, Li Wenjun teacher specifically analyzed the nutritional status of infants and young children in China, and the corresponding nutrient supplement to give recommendations, but also to infant formula pointed out a clear direction of development.The problem of anaemia in children under 2 years of ageAccording to the survey , from 2000 to 2009, a certain number of children under 5 years of age in China suffered from anaemia, of which the prevalence of anaemia was highest among children aged 6 to 24 months, and the prevalence of anaemia among children aged 2 to 3 years was a "platform period" and gradually decreased after the age of 3. In 2010, the prevalence of anaemia in rural children aged 6 to 12 months was as high as 28.2%, and in children aged 13 to 24 months, the anemia rate was 20.5%. Longitudinal studies have also repeatedly shown that children with anaemia under the age of 2 years of age, even if anemia is corrected, their cognitive ability and learning ability in later life are significantly lower than in the normal group.iron can effectively intervene in anemia and improve nutritional status. The prevalence of anaemia among rural children is high, and anemia has a great impact on children's intellectual and physical development. Studies have shown that if a child grows to 6 to 11 months for iron supplementation and several important nutrients, it will effectively improve the nutritional status of children. Children between the ages of 7 and 8 in primary school, their intelligence will also be significantly improved, so infant formula, the provision of easy to absorb iron is very important.protein - calorie malnutritionprotein - calorie malnutrition, referred to as malnutrition, is caused by calories or protein deficiency caused by low weight, wasting and growth retardation and other symptoms. Figure 1 shows the trend of malnutrition among children under 5 years of age in China from 2002 to 2011. It can be clearly seen that the overall trend of infant malnutrition in China is decreasing year by year, but urban and rural development is very unbalanced, and malnutrition among rural children still needs to be improved. Because the protein quality in china's infant formula can not be guaranteed, so on the basis of international standard values, China has increased the content of protein in milk powder, protein is the material basis of all cellular tissue, as a nutrient of high nutritional value, enterprises in the design of infant milk powder, we must improve the total amount of protein, change the quality of protein.Obesity and Overweight In the past 30 years, China's development has reached an alarming rate, from the previous food supply to today's oversupply, people's dietary patterns have undergone major changes, the rate of childhood obesity continues to rise. In 2000, international attention began to focus on infant and young child obesity, and in 2012 people began to focus on infant obesity. According to the survey, obesity is a consistent problem in many developing countries.The Nestle School of Nutrition, in cooperation with Peking University, has conducted research on nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins around the concept of "1000 days". The sample base was more than 2670 cases, including pregnancy, healthy pregnant women, healthy breast milk and its breast milk composition, as well as 0 to 36 months of children's dietary survey. The results show that the breastfeeding rate of infants aged 6 to 8 months in China is about 67%, showing a better state, but gradually decreased after the age of 2 years, compared with similar groups in the United States, the energy intake of infants and young children in Chinese cities is comparable to the level of the United States, the intake of macronutrient carbohydrates, fats and proteins are similar to the level of the United States, but the fat intake of 6 to 8 months is lower than that of the United States, and the protein level of Chinese infants and young children is high. In early childhood, energy sources were mainly milk and dairy products, and after 6 months, energy from meat and cereals gradually increased, and in a city where wasting and obesity were present, the survey showed that 6.2% of newborns in urban areas were overweight, up 17% from 2 to 3 years of age and 17.5% from 3 to 5 months. Overweight infants and young children also have a certain factor with people's perception, China's feeding children as a whole like to be fat, and the child's parents have a wrong understanding of the concept of children fat and thin, more than 20% of parents think that their children are thin, in fact, these children themselves are fat.sodium intake is not balanced in China, infant sodium intake is moderate, but young children eat too much, the survey shows that 6 to 11 months old children's salt intake is excessive. Sodium intake mainly comes from salt, some parents in the process of adding complementary food to their children, like to add some extra "taste", in fact, regular formula and breast milk sodium intake is sufficient to meet nutritional needs, additional salt will lead to high sodium intake of children.Vitamin DeficiencyVitamin A affects all aspects of infant and young child health, including the visual system, immune system, skeletal system, and the promotion of cold resistance and brain-building puzzles. The vitamin A intake of infants and young children in China has a large range of changes, and the intake of infants in urban areas is high, but the intake in rural areas is low. Therefore, the formula should be adjusted according to the different needs of infants and young children in different regions.
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