Q&A: Immune protection
How can I bump up my child’s immune system to fight off Covid? Initially, it didn’t seem that children were affected all that much, but now I’m hearing of more cases where the little ones also get sick. I really would like to avoid it as much as possible, but I work and don’t have the luxury of working from home, which means he has to go to daycare. He isn’t a very good eater – are there supplements he should take? He is 4 years old.
DR COMBRINK ANSWERS:
With the Covid-19 pandemic, it is especially important to understand that no supplement, diet or other lifestyle modification – other than physical distancing and proper hygiene practices – can protect you from Covid-19. Currently, no research supports the use of any supplement to protect against Covid-19 specifically.
Most products that claim to boost or support the immune system unfortunately do not offer any real benefit. Vitamins can help immunity as they help ward off disease and other health problems, but only under specific circumstances. Supplemental vitamins are only recommended for certain groups of children, for example those with chronic diseases, eating disorders, malabsorption and liver disease and obese children in weight loss programmes. So, vitamin formulations will do little to help
you stay healthy if you are healthy already. The reasons for vitamin and mineral supplementation appear to be multifactorial, and supplements are largely deemed unnecessary if one has a varied diet. In South Africa, almost half of the population (46 per cent) take some form of daily nutritional supplement. The South African supplement market is expanding rapidly, with immunityboosting supplements said to generate R48 million in a year. The overall supplement market in South Africa increased by 13.5 per cent a year, from R2.9 billion in 2014 to R3.8 billion in 2016. Multivitamin preparations for older children and adolescents are not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration and may result in adverse effects ranging from nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain to increased cerebrospinal pressure, liver abnormalities and neuropathy. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend supplemental vitamin use for healthy children older than 1 year who consume a varied diet.
If your child is a picky eater or for some reason is not willing or able to follow a healthy diet, consult your general practitioner or paediatrician for advice on meal replacement options that would be able to meet the calorie and nutrient requirements of a 4-year-old. Vitamins and minerals that are known to play a role in the immune system include vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D, folic acid, iron, selenium and zinc.
Young children between the ages of 2 and 8 require approximately 1 000 to 1 400 calories each day. Those aged
9 to 13 need 1 400 to 2 600 calories daily – depending on certain factors, such as activity levels and so on. It is important to note that in South Africa, all maize meal and wheat flour is fortified with vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folic acid, iron and zinc. In addition to eating enough calories, a child’s diet should meet the dietary reference given in the table below. ●