When the epidemic hit, masks, hand washing, disinfection and other necessary measures were taken, but it was still difficult to completely avoid going out, traffic and contact. At this moment, in addition to fighting for health and genes, everyone can do is to eat well, nutrition reasonably, improve immunity to the maximum extent, and prevent disease before it happens. What should we pay attention to for infants who are still in the growth and development stage and whose immunity is not mature enough?
Keep your baby breastfeeding
Breastfeeding has been recognized as having a protective effect against infection. The nutrients of human milk have been proven to protect and stimulate the development of the immune system. Human milk secreted IgA participates in active immunity, and cytokines can play a role in leukocyte development and mucosal immunity. Oligosaccharides and polysaccharide proteins in human milk can interfere with the attachment of pathogens to epithelial cells and prevent infection. Conditional lactating mothers can be fed until they are two years old or above. At present, although there is no evidence that novel coronavirus can be transmitted through breastfeeding, in order to ensure the safety of infants, mothers who are diagnosed with novel coronavirus infection (or suspected) should not breastfeed temporarily.
Dietary Balance for Health
Babies who are picky and partial eaters need to pay attention to whether they are at risk of the following nutrient deficiencies. They affect immune function.
Iron and iron deficiency can destroy the lymphocyte proliferation that protects the human immune system. Generally, children often take red meat, animal blood, animal viscera, black fungus and other foods to meet the needs of iron. Children with adequate iron intake are not recommended to take iron supplements at present, which may increase the risk of pathogen growth and survival.
Moderate or severe zinc deficiency can damage the function of lymphocytes and macrophages in human body. In developing countries, zinc supplementation can reduce the infection rate of infectious diseases, especially respiratory and intestinal infectious diseases of infants and preschool children. Zinc has been used to regulate the immune status of the elderly, and high-dose oral zinc lozenges are commonly used to treat colds in adults. However, there is no direct evidence that additional zinc supplementation is beneficial to children with sufficient zinc in their bodies. Shellfish, red meat, animal viscera and dried fruits are rich in zinc.
Vitamin A supplementation for children with vitamin A deficiency can reduce the overall incidence rate and mortality of diarrhea, measles and other possible diseases. There is no direct evidence that additional vitamin A supplementation is beneficial to the immune system of children with adequate vitamin A, and that excessive vitamin A supplementation is at risk of poisoning. The food sources of vitamin A are animal viscera, whole milk, cream and eggs. In addition, dark vegetables and fruits, such as spinach, spinach, asparagus, lettuce leaves, carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes, apricots, etc., are also good sources. We recommend that you often choose these foods to ensure the intake of vitamin A.
The severe deficiency of vitamin B6, B12, pantothenic acid, folic acid or biotin of B vitamins can inhibit the immune response of the human body, but the deficiency of these vitamins is relatively rare in the diet of the general population. It should be noted that infants who are breastfed by quality-oriented people or who eat vegetarian foods are at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Vitamin D Vitamin D has significant effects on innate immunity and acquired immunity. The dietary guidelines for Chinese residents suggest that infants, children and adolescents should take at least 400 IU (international unit) of vitamin D every day. Vitamin D is limited in natural foods (mainly in sea fish, liver, eggs, fish liver oil preparations or in the form of additives in dairy products). During the epidemic, vitamin D400IU can be supplemented every day.
Vitamin C Vitamin C can promote the synthesis of skin collagen to build the first barrier of human body, and can also help the immune function by promoting the proliferation and maturation of T cells and regulating B lymphocytes; Vitamin C can also promote the absorption of iron and zinc. Although a comprehensive meta-analysis (including 5 items related to children) shows that high doses of vitamin C can not reduce the incidence of colds, but may slightly shorten the duration of infection. Fresh vegetables and fruits are the main food source of vitamin C. It is generally not recommended to supplement vitamin C with fresh juice, because the content of vitamin C may be lost during processing.
Enough probiotics can compete with the colonized pathogenic bacteria to change the host intestinal flora or produce metabolites to enhance intestinal mucosal immunity, thus protecting the host health. Studies have shown that probiotics have a certain effect on reducing the frequency and duration of diarrhea in infants and children. Yogurt and other dairy products contain lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. It is recommended to purchase probiotics for treatment under the guidance of doctors.
