Parents always want the best for their children which includes good health throughout their lives. In today’s world, children often pick up on eating habits which can create nutritional deficiencies. These habits differ from one another based on region, lifestyle, race, socioeconomic factors, etc and can also lead to them developing as unhealthy adults. There are some nutritional deficiencies in children which many go unnoticed and they are quite common in children and have become a growing concern for parents/ caregivers. These deficiencies can cause harmful effects on a child’s overall healthy development, importantly on their young hearts. In this blog, we will learn about some common causes of nutritional deficiencies that are unknowingly shared by many children and help parents/ caregivers understand why it matters so much for the child, its harsh impact on the kid’s heart health and some useful solutions to eliminate such deficiencies to occur.
Top 4 Nutritional Deficiencies that are Common in Indian Children:
1. Iron Deficiency (Anemia) and Heart Health
Why Iron Matters:
Iron is an essential element of growing kids’ diet which helps produce a sufficient amount of hemoglobin in the body. Hemoglobin assists in supplying oxygen to all body parts, including the involuntary muscles of the heart and also gives a red colour to the blood. Children who do not consume adequate iron in their diet can suffer from anemia, which reduces the oxygen supply throughout the body and depreciates overall health over time.
Impact on Heart Health:
Children who are challenged by anemia will have a heart that has to work harder than normal to pump a sufficient amount of oxygen-rich blood to the body. With time, this extra pressure on the heart will impact heart health, adversely and can potentially make kids vulnerable to developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure or an enlarged heart.
Common Causes of Iron Deficiency in the Indian Diet:
Iron deficiency is becoming common among Indian children because there is limited consumption of iron-rich foods like leafy greens, meat, and fortified cereals which promote heart health. Instead, diets which are followed today by many children are heavy in grains like rice or wheat, which don’t provide enough iron to the body.
Solution:
The solution for this is easy, which is to include more iron-rich foods in your child’s diet regularly, such as spinach, legumes, eggs (if non-vegetarian), and jaggery. When parents pair these with Vitamin C-rich foods like amla or citrus fruits it can further help improve iron absorption in the body.
2. Vitamin D Deficiency and Heart Health
Why Vitamin D Matters:
Vitamin D helps in calcium absorption for growing kids, which is essential for their bones and heart muscles to function correctly, effectively and efficiently. Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in Indian children because of their lack of ample exposure to sunlight, poor dietary consumption, and actively living indoors rather than spending time outdoors in the sunshine.
Impact on Heart Health:
Vitamin D deficiency is directly linked to the development of many heart diseases such as hypertension and in severe cases heart failure. In children, insufficient Vitamin D can lead to an imbalance in calcium metabolism which can thus impact the involuntary muscles around the heart negatively. Some studies have concluded that low Vitamin D is the prime reason for higher blood pressure, hence, increasing the long-term risk of developing a heart disease.
Common Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency in the Indian Diet:
Many Indian diets cannot provide sufficient Vitamin D because of limited consumption of food sources like fatty fish, egg yolks, and fortified foods. In addition to that, some cultural practices can also limit a child’s exposure to sunlight creating Vitamin D deficiency.
Solution:
All parents/caregivers should always encourage as well as motivate their kids to actively participate in outdoor activities for at least 30 minutes a day, 4-6 days a week, to help the kids’ skin absorb a healthy amount of Vitamin D. Parents can introduce Vitamin D-fortified foods to kids like milk, or consult a qualified doctor about Vitamin D supplements for your child if Vitamin D levels are low in the kid. Routine use of vitamin D supplements during the first year of life is now a standard practice followed by Paediatricians.
3. Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Heart Health
Why Vitamin B12 Matters:
Vitamin B12 helps the kids’ bodies to remain optimally healthy and is also responsible for producing life-giving red blood cells as well as regulating healthily coordinated nerve function plus improved coordination of the entire body. It is required in the kids’ body because it reduces homocysteine levels i.e. a compound that is closely connected to development of heart disease when it begins to build in the blood.
Impact on Heart Health:
Children who do not have sufficient Vitamin B12 in their bodies will always have higher homocysteine levels than kids who have an adequate amount of Vitamin B12. Insufficient Vitamin B12 will begin to cause damage to the blood vessels and significantly increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease with time. This deficiency should be identified at an early stage by some common symptoms like fatigue or shortness of breath in kids and can be correctly treated by an expert and experienced medical professional or family doctor.
Common Causes of Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Indian Diet:
Vitamin B12 is present in several animal or non-vegan products like eggs, fish, and dairy and in India, the majority of the population are vegetarians which is why some Indian children are not able to receive enough Vitamin B12 through their diet and will need medical intervention to manage healthy Vitamin B12 levels in the body.
Solution:
The Vitamin B12 deficiency in kids can be dealt with if parents/caregivers start including eggs, milk, and fortified cereals in their child’s diet regularly. if there are noticeable signs of Vitamin B12, please visit a doctor to help your kid become healthy again with optimal Vitamin B12 levels in their body.
6. Folate (Vitamin B9) Deficiency and Cardiovascular Development
Why Folate Matters:
Folate, or Vitamin B9, is a life-giving element in the body which plays a critical role in DNA synthesis, cell division, and proper red blood cell formation throughout the body. It also helps in healthily regulating homocysteine levels, which is necessary to provide the best protection to the priceless heart.
Impact on Heart Health:
A lack of folate or Vitamin B9 can lead to higher homocysteine levels and has similar effects much like Vitamin B12 deficiency. High homocysteine levels are directly linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, even in children which is why avoiding this deficiency is imperative for parents.
Common Causes of Folate or Vitamin B9 Deficiency in the Indian Diet:
Many Indian dishes include legumes and greens, which are an excellent choice of food and an exceptional source of folate. Children can still suffer from this deficiency, especially if their normal diet has these foods absent in their life or their diet primarily consists of processed, nutrient-poor snacks.
Solution:
The solution for this deficiency is to introduce and include folate-rich foods like lentils, spinach, chickpeas, and fortified cereals in your child’s daily meals. These will not only help in providing essential nutrients but also support healthy heart development for the kid.
Conclusion: Prioritizing Heart Health from Childhood In summary nutritional deficiencies in Indian children are rising to an unexpected figure. Everyone must know that it is not just about short-term growth or development of the body during childhood, but nutrition will lay the foundation for long-term health, especially for the heart which has to beat every second with no breaks. These common deficiencies can be cured by parents by implementing the solution while informing the reason for a better diet choice to kids when they will usually pick up parents’/caregivers’ habits. Remember only by consuming balanced meals, encouraging physical activity, optimally meeting the body’s nutrition needs and punctual as well as regular health check-ups are the best ways to support a heart-healthy lifestyle from childhood for your kid to live healthier and longer.
