The Role of Zinc in Child Development

Published: 00:00 - 24/01/2022 Author: Nguyễn Thị Kiều Liên 11:28 24/01/2022 Views: 1

🤖 AI Translation Notice: This article was automatically translated by AI from the official Vietnamese publication of the School of Preventive Medicine and Public Health (HMU). For official legal/administrative reference, please consult the original Vietnamese version →.

Zinc is an essential trace mineral for child development. By facilitating protein synthesis through enzymatic mechanisms, zinc supplementation promotes the development of bones, muscles, and the brain in children. Read the article below to understand the role of zinc and how to supplement it correctly for children.

?The Role of Zinc

Zinc promotes cell production, from the fetal stage throughout a child's subsequent development. Pregnant women need to supplement zinc to ensure normal fetal development because, in the body's biological processes, zinc is present in cell structures and in 80 types of enzymes, including those involved in transport, hydrolysis, assimilation, catalysis of DNA chain binding, and other energy-producing reactions.

Zinc plays a role in almost all biological processes occurring in the body, especially the decomposition and synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins. When the body's organs lack zinc, abnormal manifestations or specific zinc-deficiency pathologies occur. Specifically:

In the brain, zinc is found in high concentrations in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and mossy fibers; zinc deficiency leads to neurological disorders and may contribute to schizophrenia.
Zinc regulates neurotransmitters; deficiency leads to behavioral disorders.
Zinc facilitates the transport of calcium into the brain; deficiency hinders this transport, making individuals prone to irritability.
Zinc regulates the endocrine functions of the pituitary, reproductive, thyroid, and adrenal glands. In conjunction with the neuroendocrine system, it regulates internal vital activities and responds flexibly to external stimuli, helping the body adapt to circumstances. Therefore, without sufficient zinc, humans are less capable of adapting to environmental changes.
Zinc is distributed in the skin, hair, and nails, supporting their normal development. Deficiency causes hair to become brittle and discolored (yellowish), nails to become brittle and slow-growing, and skin to become dry, dull, or develop white spots.
Zinc deficiency reduces or eliminates taste sensitivity, causing anorexia, loss of appetite, and potentially leading to conditions such as oral mucositis.
Zinc assists in the synthesis and secretion of growth hormones, enhancing immune function and resistance to infection.