Starting solid foods for babies
Once milk alone no longer satisfy your baby, you will need to start introducing solids in her diet. The recommended age for starting solid foods is six months, but if your baby seems ready for solids before this you should talk to your health visitor or doctor. You baby will let you know she is still [...]
Free radicals i.e. atoms or molecules with one or more unpaired electrons in their outermost orbits, are regularly formed in body during normal metabolic activity and eliminated by various anti-oxidant mechanisms. Excess production or inadequate elimination of these radicals has been recently identified as an important contributor in cellular aging, disease and death. Three most [...]
Continue reading …Vitamin E deficiency - Vitamin E is a group of natural fat-soluble compounds – ct-tocoferols. Physiology: Vitamin E is an important anti-oxidant (free-radical scavenger) as well as involved in nucleic acid metabolism and stabilization of cellular membranes. It is widely distributed in vegetable oils,fats and nuts, specially those rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. RDA: 3-7 mg of [...]
Continue reading …Scurvy is well-defined acute manifestation of Vitamin C deficiency, though mild or subclinical deficiency states may present with impaired wound healing, bleeding gums, mild anemia and increased susceptibility for infections. Physiology of Vitamin C deficiency: Vitamin C or Ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin, essential for synthesis of — a) normal collagen by incorporating proline [...]
Continue reading …Folic acid deficiency - Folic acid (Pteroyglutamic acid) is essential for normal DNA synthesis and hence, folic acid deficiency mainly affects rapidly dividing cells e.g. bone marrow (megaloblastic anemia) or in fetus (neuronal tube defects). In natural diet, Folic acid exists as folates. Etiology: Folic acid deficiency is rarely dietary due to miniscule daily requirements (< [...]
Continue reading …Vitamin B12 deficiency - Cobalamin is a cobalt-containing vitamin, essential for nucleic acid metabolism and myelin formation. (Cyancobalamin is the therapeutic preparation, used to treat Vitamin B1, deficiency). Widely present in animal sources, Vitamin B12 is absent in plant foods, but may be endogenously synthesized by colonic bacteria. Vitamin B12 absorption requires hydrolysis by gastric acid [...]
Continue reading …Biotin deficiency - Role of Biotin as an important co-factor of various carboxylase enzymes in carbohydrate/fat metabolism is being increasingly recognized in recent years. Etiology: Biotin deficiency is rarely dietary, as it is also synthesized by intestinal bacteria. Important causes include — a) excessive consumption of raw egg-white, which is rich in Avidin — a biotin- binding [...]
Continue reading …Vitamin A deficiency (VAD), till recently, was the commonest cause of preventable blindness in Indian children. Although the prevalence of severe disease has markedly declined in recent years due to preventive supplementation programs, subclinical Vitamin A deficiency continues to be a major public health problem, with an estimated prevalence of —1-3% in pre-school children. Physiology: [...]
Continue reading …Although many Nutrition program in India are operational in India for high-risk children, many of them are being integrated with wider-spectrum programs i.e. ICDS. Salient features of some general nutritional programs are discussed here, while those against specific nutritional deficiencies have been discussed in relevant chapters. Applied nutrition program in India (ANP) was also started [...]
Continue reading …Early (Presenting) Complications of PEM: a) Infections Common : ARI, Diarrhea, TB, helminthiasis Severe Gram —ye sepsis, septic shock, DIC Opportunistic Candidiasis b) Hypothermia c) Metabolic Hypoglycemia Hypocalcaemia Hypomagnesemia d) Fluid & electrolyte imbalance Dehydration Hypokalemia Hypernatremia e) Lactose intolerance f) Severe anemia & other nutrient deficiencies g) Congestive cardiac failure Late (Recovery) complications: a) [...]
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