Calcium and Vitamin D Deficiency Can Contribute to Stunted Growth in Infants and Preschoolers

Calcium and Vitamin D Deficiency Can Contribute to Stunted Growth in Infants and Preschoolers

If children under the age of five are not sufficiently supplied with calcium and vitamin D, this might potentially lead to severe growth impairments (stunting).Stunted growth also occurs, if children are adequately supplied with carbohydrates, protein, vitamin A, iron and zinc. This finding is based on a cross-sectional study on eating habits of infants and preschoolers as well as their mothers in Hantam, an impoverished South African Municipality in Northern Cape Province. There are twice as many stunted children in this region as the average of all recorded in South Africa (1).

The research team led by M. van Stuijvenberg from the South African Medical Research Council identified an overall prevalence of stunting in the South African children (n = 150) of 36%. The impairment increased with the age of the children. They constitute 23% for 2-3 year olds, 40% in the 3-4 year olds and 49% for 4-5 year olds. More than a quarter of these stunted children had, measured by the reference values of the WHO, to diminutive mothers and weighed too little at birth. The lower the household income and household size of the family, the more frequently the children were stunted.

The growth impairments occurred, although children were neither undersupplied with calories nor vitamin A, iron and zinc, which is accounted to the regular consumption of (inexpensive) sheep liver. Whereas stunted children had, compared to normally grown children, a too low intake of calcium and vitamin D, as well as phosphorus, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and fat. The researchers suspect that the stunted growth might be ascribed to a long-term scarcity of milk in early childhood.

This cross-sectional study confirms that the severe consequences of micronutrient deficiencies, such as stunting, are not only emerging in developing countries. Hidden hunger has various reasons, which have to be investigated on a region-specific basis.

Read more:
van Stuijvenberg et al. Low intake of calcium and vitamin D, but not zinc, iron or vitamin A, is associated with stunting in 2- to 5-year-old children. Nutrition. 2015 Jun; 31(6):841-6. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2014.12.011. Access via the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25933491 und http://micronutrientforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/0091.pdf

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