Winter is the best time to supplement calcium for children.

Every parent wants their child to have enough nutrients to grow tall and healthy, however not everyone knows that winter is the most appropriate time to supplement calcium for children.

Children born in winter often develop better physically.

A university in Poland conducted a survey of 1,148 children about their date of birth, height, and weight to find out the relationship between the season of birth and the physical and mental condition of the newborn in the future. The results showed that babies born between October and April (winter) are usually 2-3 cm taller than babies born between May and September (summer), and weigh 2-3 kg more.

Another study conducted by Harvard University (USA) and Queensland University (Australia) on 21,000 infants over 7 years (newborn, 1 month, 4 years old and 7 years old) also concluded: children born in winter often develop better physically than children born in summer.

The reason is that mothers who are pregnant in the summer and give birth in the winter are often exposed to more sunlight, so they absorb vitamin D better than mothers who are pregnant in the winter and give birth in the summer. This difference in vitamin D absorption affects the amount of calcium in the embryonic cells, causing differences in the height of newborn babies at birth.

Why should children supplement calcium in winter?

For older children, if calcium is supplemented in winter, cool weather will reduce the risk of constipation caused by calcium intake.

In winter, due to lack of sunlight, children's bodies will not synthesize enough vitamin D, an important substance that helps absorb calcium from the intestines into the blood. Therefore, when supplementing calcium, it is absolutely necessary to supplement vitamin D from the outside at the same time.

The role of Calcium, vitamin D and MK7

Calcium is the most important component of bones, because 99% of the body's calcium is in bones and teeth. Providing calcium daily to ensure the source of materials for the synthesis of new bone cells is very necessary for children. However, science has proven that if only calcium is supplemented without vitamin D, the body can only absorb about 10% of the calcium provided.

However, even if there is vitamin D, the body can only absorb a maximum of 40% of calcium into the bones, the remaining excess calcium will remain in the intestines causing constipation, kidney stones or remain in the blood causing atherosclerosis, soft tissue calcification and affecting the health of children. For the maximum amount of supplemental calcium to be absorbed into the needed place, which is the bones, and to eliminate adverse effects, the role of MK7 is needed. MK7 (Vitamin K2) is a factor needed to activate the protein Osteocalcin from an inactive form to an active form, helping to "put" Calcium in the right place (bones) and "pull" Calcium out of dangerous places (vessel walls, soft tissues).

Thus, the inseparable combination of Calcium, vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 (MK7) will ensure rapid and sustainable bone growth, helping children stay tall and healthy.

How to supplement calcium for children in winter?

The amount of Calcium that the body needs to absorb in a day varies according to gender and age. During puberty (girls 10 - 13 years old, boys 13 - 17 years old), children will grow rapidly in height, can increase 8 - 10cm in 1 year, so this is the golden period to supplement Calcium, helping to promote height for children.

According to the recommendations of the Australian Health and Medical Research Council, the daily calcium requirement of:

- Teenage girls 8 - 11 years old is 900mg; 12 - 15 years old is 1,000mg; 16 - 18 years old is 800mg

- Boys 8 - 11 years old is 800mg; 12 - 15 years old is 1,200mg; 16 - 18 years old is 1,000mg

For children to reach their maximum height, parents need to provide enough calcium through their child's daily diet, using foods rich in calcium such as shrimp, crab, eggs, milk, beans, broccoli..., or supplement with calcium-containing products.

However, most of the Calcium products are currently prepared in conventional form, which is not very effective in absorption and can easily lead to side effects. With modern preparation technology, nano Calcium has an extremely small size (less than 60 mm), helping Calcium penetrate the blood vessels better, 200 times better than the conventional type. Therefore, Calcium molecules easily reach the places that need to be supplemented, the body does not need to supplement too much, avoiding side effects such as constipation, kidney stones, digestive disorders...

You should choose a product containing nano Calcium combined with vitamin D3 and MK7 (vitamin K2), let your child use it continuously for at least 6 winter months each year, and at the same time increase outdoor activities 30 minutes a day to help your child reach maximum height.

According to GiadinhNet