Search Results for: childhood obesity

Does Sugar cause Dental Caries? One favorite habit I gave up

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on November 27, 2019 22

Does Sugar cause Dental Caries? Yes, it’s the primary cause behind the rotting tooth and also the best-kept secret.

Sugar crash after a chocolate heavy day is one favorite habit I gave up. Almost.

I had a severe sweet tooth. I saved up money to buy chocolates when I was a little girl. Dairy milk was a favorite, but now I love silk, the Lindt Swiss chocolates, and Bournville too. Do you get the drift?

I also used to have chocolate grilled sandwiches for breakfast when I was pregnant to ensure calorie count. Life was blissful . At least so I thought. There was only one minor toothache, in this rosy picture.

The problem was two folds:

I started having a toothache

I had severe GERD.

Even with cutting down on fried and spicy food, the GERD didn’t go away, The dental Xray, revealed no caries tooth, but an unerupted molar. That one I had extracted uneventfully, but the teeth sensitivity continued.

My dentist is an excellent doctor and gave me tips about brushing after breakfast to ensure more extended fresh mouth. That helped a lot. I skipped morning milk tea and tried ginger Green, and still, the sensitivity continued

My serum calcium and vitamin D were perfect. But the sensitivity continued.

What was wrong?

It worried me. I knew the answer at the back of my head and just didn’t acknowledge it. My hubby was becoming concerned.

Then a year back after a severe episode of tooth sensitivity, while in the cold mountains of Ladakh, my hubby put his foot down. He told me to keep a record of the food I ate on the days I had tooth sensitivity.

I still wanted to ignore the nagging voice in my head.

I decided to talk to a few other Dental surgeons and did my own research.

The culprit was sugar!

WHO advisory mentions‘free sugars’ to be limited in your diet. The daily average of a maximum of 10% of total calories (‘strong recommendation’) for adults and lower for children. This helps to minimize the risk of dental caries throughout the life course.[1]

Coincidentally I found an article in the Newspaper, about the World Dental association talking about how no one discusses this simple step of lowering sugar, for better dental hygiene. They were very vocal about how cosmetic dentistry is the rage, but Dentists were keeping quiet about preventive Dental care.

Why does no one give advice about saying no to excess sugar? Maybe because you and me we all know that sugar is bad, just didn’t want to acknowledge it. Sugar addiction helps big processed food corporations mint money. They would be the last people to tell you that.

The right amount of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and VitaminD, fluoride are all critical. But low dietary simple sugar is non-negotiable.

The worse culprits are processed sugary snacks like packaged cakes, cookies, pies, frozen desserts, ice creams, ice lollies, definitely candies, sweets, and most chocolates.

Calories in Sugar

That’s about 40 -55 grams of sugar per day. That’s 1o teaspoons of sugar. Remember one teaspoon holds about 4/5 grams of sugar. One tablespoon is equal to 3 teaspoons. One gram sugar is around 4 Calories.

The American Heart Association recommends about 100 calories from free sugar. That comes to even lower than the WHO recommendation to about 6 teaspoons per day.

I have perfectly normal blood sugar, but eating sweet stuff made my tooth sensitive and gave me a sour taste in the mouth!

I combatted this by eating something savory at the end of meals and not sweet. Interestingly I face no problems with fresh fruits. The nature of the carb is obviously important.

I avoid sugar in my morning tea. The morning coffee does have sugar, but very little and I brush afterward that helps. When I do have a piece of chocolate, it’s not more than one piece a day. I just nibble the chocolate and take a long time eating it. It’s a little sad but I like being healthy and toothache free better!

But what are these free sugars in your diet?

List of Simple sugars in your food labels will have sugar dressed up as raw, brown, processed, molasses, syrups, etc.

List of simple sugars causing Dental caries

Monosaccharides:glucose,fructose,galactose

Disaccharides are two monosaccharides holding hands in chemical composition.

Maltose:glucose +glucose

Lactose: Glucose +galactose

Sucrose: Glucose+Fructose

Table sugar, granulated sugar, or regular sugar has sucrose. Inside your body, these disaccharides easily break down into monosaccharides.

They are added to your food at multiple steps and build up.

What about the sugar content in Jaggery?

Jaggery is a natural sweetener having several benefits nutritionally.But it has a whole lot of simple free sugars too! It has 65-85% sucrose and 10-15 % glucose and/or galactose. For people with dental caries or diabetes, you cannot go overboard with jaggery or any other natural sweeteners.

Who adds the sugar in your food?

Types of sugars in your food which are bad

The manufacturer ( processed food and packaged food), cook (in a restaurant, by you (consumer at home).These are also sugar present in honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, fruit concentrates, fruit juice, health drinks, energy drinks, candies, sweets, chocolates, packaged snacks, etc.

High dietary sugar has a significant role to play in the early onset of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and tooth decay.

When fruit juices with pulp are packaged, most of the fruit sugars are already broken down. Until you do a chemical analysis, there is no way of knowing the nature of the calorie you consume.

The rule of thumb. The more processed it is, the simpler is the sugar form. Sugar intake has a strong correlation with a noncommunicable disease like caries with a worldwide load.

What is the Primary Cause of Dental Caries

The primary cause of Dental caries is Dietary free sugar, as proclaimed by the World Dental federation[1], who took out a policy statement to fight misinformation regarding Dental preventive healthcare.

What happens when you eat a free sugar or a simple sugar and don’t brush your teeth immediately after

Sugar anywhere in the oral cavity acts as a bacterial medium, helping in bacterial growth.

The proliferation of Dental caries causing harmful bacteria is caused by that sugar in the chocolate.

The sugar is converted into acids that erode the dental enamel and cause cavity!

Oral hygiene, levels of care, other deficiencies, and educational profiles all have a role to play but are not aetiological factors [2].

How to Prevent Dental Caries?

Remember, this is the most extensive worldwide study, which found that higher prevalence and severity of dental caries intimately related to free dietary sugar intake. If sugar is more than 10% of total daily calories,higher it is the risk of caries. The risk is lifelong, and so are the benefits.[1,4]

Tooth brushing helps prevent the severity and prevalence of Dental caries.[5]I prefer Sensodyne for my family, and low free sugar is my new mantra.

Dental Caries in India [3]

In India, the prevalence of dental caries range from 33.7% to 90% in childhood and is alarming due to rampant advertisement and ingestion of sugary food.[4]

Decayed missing and filled teeth are more in teenagers than younger children. Boys more than girls have more sugary drinks and often report more oral health issues [6,7].

Conclusion

Oral health has a deep relationship with overall health. Sugar is also addictive. Unfortunately, a lack of transparency in dental health awareness has led to a massive childhood dental caries incidence with lifetime disease burden.

Low free sugar means small dental caries. The recommended minimum is 40-55 grams of free sugar [6,7].

Food manufacturers should lower sugar quotient in packaged food and clearly declare the relation of HFSS. Affordable toothpaste with good fluoride content and national health authorities creating awareness and food safety guidelines will go a long way in preventing this problem.

This post is a part of Blog Anniversary celebrations of Thoughts by Geethica Turns 3 co-hosted by Zainab and Ashvini.

References:

1 )Dietary Free Sugars and Dental Caries
2)The effects of sugars intake and frequency of ingestion on dental caries increment in a three-year longitudinal study.
Burt BA1, Eklund SA, Morgan KJ, Larkin FE, Guire KE, Brown LO, Weintraub JA.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3053822
3) Salivary levels of Streptococcusmutans and Lactobacilli in 13-15 years
old children of Belgaum city, Karnataka. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent.
2005;23(1):23-26. Hegde PP, Ashok Kumar BR, Ankola VA.
4)Effect on caries of restricting sugars intake: a systematic review to inform WHO guidelines.
Moynihan PJ1, Kelly SA. J Dent Res. 2014 Jan;93(1):8-18. doi: 10.1177/0022034513508954. Epub 2013 Dec 9.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24323509
5) Prevalence of dental caries, the effect of sugar intake and tooth brushing practices in children aged 5-11 years in Bangalore North
Deepak Viswanath, Nimmy Sabu
http://www.srmjrds.in/article.asp?issn=0976-433X;year=2014;volume=5;issue=3;spage=155;epage=162;aulast=Viswanath
6)Chi, D.L., Hopkins, S., O’Brien, D. et al. Association between added sugar intake and dental caries in Yup’ik children using a novel hair biomarker. BMC Oral Health 15, 121 (2015) doi:10.1186/s12903-015-0101-z
7) Association of sugary foods and drinks consumption with behavioral risk and oral health status of 12- and 15-year-old Indian school children
Kailash Asawa, Nandini Sen, Nagesh Bhat, Mridula Tak,1 Pratibha Sultane, and Vishal Patil2
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852983/

Ginger :Raw or cooked? #BlogchatterAtoZ

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on April 8, 2019 13

Ginger is very popular in my kitchen. I add it in my morning cup of green tea, in my curries and I also have ginger infusion water. Ginger tea is a childhood favorite. In green tea or milk tea, I love my ginger.

With milk tea, adding too much ginger early on can curdle the milk. But with green tea, no such problem. Raw ginger has several amazing benefits. But it can be difficult to chew it raw. Adding it to my glass infusion water bottle, helps me have my raw ginger water without trouble.

Can you grow a ginger plant?

Yes. It’s easy. The only thing you need is a piece of ginger root. Just make small nicks, on a piece of ginger tuber and plant it in a little soil. The green shoot will appear and there will be several small ginger tubers appearing below it. Harvest when the green shoots die.

Ginger powder: is it any good?

Nothing like the natural and dried powder is used if you don’t have access to the real thing.

What are the active chemicals in Ginger?

The active ingredients in ginger root are gingerols, shogaol, and paradols. Gingerol is the main bioactive compound in ginger. It has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Benefits of ginger

Antioxidant and anticancer effect

Ginger and some of its components are effective antioxidants in vitro. Due to the antioxidant property, it is considered to exert an anticancer effect. It has potential action in colon cancer. In humans in vivo action needs further research.

The cognitive improvement and neuroprotective effects occur due to the antioxidant effect.

Even dried ginger may have beneficial effects in treating dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease (Ghayur, Gilani, Ahmed, Khalid, Nawaz, Agbedahunsi, Choudhary, Houghton 2008). But this effect in Alzheimer’s disease is not conclusive.

Better digestion and prevents nausea

Several research data show that active ingredients of ginger accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract. But the exact mechanism of action is still not clear.

Ginger also reduces cholesterol and improve lipid metabolism. This makes its role in the prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases significant.

A survey of a group of obstetricians and gynecologists: Most recommend taking an antiemetic (71.3%), and specifically ginger (51.8%), to patients with moderate to severe nausea (Power, Holzman, and Schulkin 2001).

Ginger has been recommended to combat nausea associated with chemotherapy.

Gingerol in ginger helps maintain orodental health by its antibacterial activity.

Ginger is used in many illnesses, such as colds, nausea, arthritis, migraines, and hypertension since ages.

Even when we see the safety profile of ginger, there is an incomplete understanding of the mechanism of action. Thus you need caution while trying any therapeutic uses. But including ginger in your diet will only enhance the taste. Do you include ginger in your diet?

Other posts in this series

Asparagus: Also a medicinal plant

Beetroot: Benefits and worries

What’s in a Carrot?

Disclaimer: This post is meant for spreading healthcare information and not meant as a replacement for a professional medical opinion. Always consult a medical professional before taking any decision related to health and healthcare. Healthcare information is a rapidly evolving field. While all attempts are made to keep this website updated, the author/s and or website disclaim all responsibility for any inadvertent omission/commission. Read my full disclaimer.

Reference:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/

Sharma and Gupta 1998 Grant and Lutz 2000

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665023/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5008850/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665023/

Snoring: It’s serious #WorldSleepDay

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on March 15, 2019 8

Are you snoring your way to ill health? International sleep day is just the time to talk about sleep and its nemesis snoring. Snoring irritates others and disturbs your partner’s sleep. But did you know when you snore, it affects your heart and all your systems?

Statistics:

Health Survey conducted in India:22.0% of total population self-reported having Snoring Disorder.
OSA highest in the age group 50–59 (21.7%).
Males 14.8%
Females 12.9%.

With blocked nose or cold occasionally some people may snore. But if you are a chronic snorer, I have some questions for you.

How long have you been snoring?
Do you feel sleepy and have low energy every morning?
Did it start suddenly? Are you overweight? Are you hypertensive or Diabetic?

The problem with a small sound like snoring is, it grows to be a problem if you don’t tackle it first.

Good news: early intervention is useful in many cases.Bad news: sometimes even surgery may be needed to help you on the way to health.

Snoring can happen in different grades when it causes sleep apnoea or hypopnea, you need to worry.

SNORING:Its serious #Worldsleepday — SNORING: It’s serious #Worldsleepday

OSAH or obstructive sleep apnoea/ hypopnea

OSAH a serious condition. You need to know that with severe snoring your airway closes and your cells and organs including heart and brain function without oxygen during that time.

The problem is you don’t know whether you are having this problem. Your doctor listens to your symptoms or clues and may ask you to do some tests.

Apnea: complete breath-holding for ten or more seconds.
Hypopnea: Partial breath-holding

Symptoms of Sleep apnea

Noise through nose and mouth during sleep known as snoring.
Fatigue
Witness breath holding
Gasping choking
EDS
Fragmented sleep
Unrefreshing sleep
Reduced alertness
Poor quality of life in general
Mood changes
Nocturia

Risk factors of OSAH: Snoring Causes

Male gender
Obesity
Associated with Cerebrovascular disease
Diabetes
Hypertension
Hypothyroidism
Alcoholism
Smoking history
Any history of tonsillectomy or adenoid surgery in childhood.
Shift workers
History of a road traffic accident

Danger Signs for OSAH

BMI of more than 28
Neck circumference 43 cm is predictive
Nasal problems like nasal valve collapse, stenosis of nares, deviated nasal septum. Inferior turbinate hypertrophy, polyps
Craniofacial abnormality

Tests for OSAH

The gold standard for testing is in hospital polysomnography includes an assessment of respiratory oximetry and sleep architecture assessment uses EEG, EOG EMG
Imaging
Endoscopy
Blood workup

Treatment options you have

Lifestyle modifications which will help.

Diet
Exercise
Sleep hygiene
CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure helps to keep the airway open and prevent apnoeic events in people with snoring
Snoring Aids like mandibular advancement devices, special pillows, nasal dilators, air purifiers, and humidifiers. But all these are a case to case variables.
Surgery

Snoring Aids: Do they work?

A nasal dilator will work in someone with a narrowed internal nasal valve area. But this is possible only after you find out the cause of snoring. People with positional snoring, most common is the supine position. A wedge pillow, realignment pillow, and a side sleeping pillow, often help in maintaining proper sleep posture and can be helpful in some cases.

Mandibular advancement device (MAD) advances and brings your lower jaw forward. This makes the tissues tightened and helps prevent snoring. Its best for supine snorers, overweight people who have started snoring, age related worsening of snoring.

What is the best course of action, for you will depend on the underlying condition causing snoring. But if obesity is the cause, you have hope when you lose weight. Get help from an expert on time.

More resources you may like

Disclaimer: This is information for awareness. As healthcare information is constantly updated, the blog post is not meant to be a replacement for a doctor consultation, nor is it a medical recommendation or treatments. Any reader of this blog, with problems, should specifically consult his/her doctor for medical conditions and follow the suggested course of treatment’.

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VITAMIN D Deficiency:Is it a Myth?

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 11, 2019 56

The Vitamin D deficiency: What could be the story?

Many of my busy cousins in their thirties are having a variety of old age problems.

Hypertension, diabetes, deranged lipid profile, nothing seems to be left.But is chronic stress the only culprit? While reading the many research papers, I found a surprising answer.

Lifestyle and your diet really do decide your health. Vitamin D is suspected to have a role. Vitamin D is the miracle vitamin which has a range of goodness. This sunshine vitamin can bring the sunshine into your life.

Not only physical health but your mental health is also influenced by Vitamin D.

Shocked ?I was too.Do you know anybody with hypertension?

Anybody with diabetes?What about somebody who is having a weight issue.

You must be knowing someone who has depression. It’s another chronic problem of our times.

They might need to check their vitamin D level in blood.Do you have Vitamin D deficiency?

Have you ever tested for your blood level of Vitamin D?

Are you overweight?All over theworld, in both developed and developing nations VitaminD deficiency is a highly researched topic.Undernutrition and deficiencies of micronutrient is not surprising.What is surprising is that Vitamin D deficiency is present even in overweight, obese people.This has created the shocking nutritional state known as ‘Malnutrition of Obesity”.

The USA , as well as worldwide Vitamin D, ppears to be a micronutrient which is largely deficient in most.

Who is at risk of Vitamin D deficiency?

50% of world population.Yes the rate is that high.

1 billion people worldwide suspected to be suffering.

There’s a pandemic of vitamin D deficiency worldwide.

The cause is suspected to be environmental pollution, that’s preventing synthesis of Vitamin D by your skin.
Dietary deficiency
Sunscreen(with SPF more than 30) use is another reason which decreases vitamin.
Obesity decreases vitamin D .Decreased Vitamin D makes it difficult for you to lose weight.Vicious cycle.

Source of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a very special fat soluble hormone. You can synthesize this vitamin in your skin.

Most oil-rich fish such as salmon, mackerel, and herring contain vitamin D.95% of vitamin D can be synthesized by exposure of the skin to sunlight(UVB). Ideally between 10.00 hours and 15.00 hours in the spring, summer, and fall.Sunscreen(with SPF more than 30) use is another reason which decreases vitamin

Population at risk

- Children
- Young and middle-aged adults
- Breast fed infants (If mother is deficient baby will be deficient.
- People of Australia, India, Middle East, Africa, and South America.
Darker the skin, more is the melanin, less is the Vitamin D production in the skin

What the right level of Vitamin D?

VITAMIN D Normal :30ng/ml

Vitamin D insufficiency: 25(OH)D of 21–29 ng/mL

How can Vitamin D protect you?

Protects your heart

Maintains the health of your heart and blood vessels.

Bones and Muscles

Keeps your bones strong
Keeps your muscles strong
Protects against fall related injuries
Prevents fatigue

Cancer protective

Protects against cancer. Most significantly colorectal cancer.
Maybe protecting against breast cancer too

Obesity

Auto immune disease and immunity

Less risk of type 2 Diabetes.
Vitamin D protects against autoimmune diseases(multiple sclerosis,Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and autoimmune thyroid disease.)
It also has a role in protection against influenza during winter

Mental health

Vitamin D helps prevent cognitive problems associated with aging.
It helps in depression by preventing relapse.
Helps in decreasing the dose of medicines in depression.
Helps in weaning off medicines

How much can Vitamin D be given?

After measuring your serum Vitamin D level the right dose can be calculated.

The Mega dose may need to be given to get the deficiency corrected.

Takeaway:

Measure your vitamin D level.

Have a diet rich in Vitamin D.

Don’t forget to start vitamin D supplement if you are deficient.

Design your own healthy lifestyle. Be strong live healthy.

What’s your Vitamin D status? Have you ever tested? Let me know in the comments below.

Disclaimer :

This article is meant to spread awareness about health. It is not a substitute for a professional medical consultation. Read my full disclaimer.

Updated Feb2018

Healthwealthbridge Podcast

Healthwealthbridge by Dr.Amrita is a health podcast, a wellness podcast, and an education podcast just for you. It’s an Indian podcast, meant to help educated moms choose right for them and their families.

I was mentioned on Feedspot’s list of 10 Best Indian Podcast in 2023 and 2024 and this made my day!My Healthwealthbridge by Dr.Amrita Podcast was started in 2018 January. I am happy to share that this doctor’s podcast is amongst the top 10 Indian Doctor’s podcasts two years in a row on Feedspot.Its also in the top 20 Indian Health Podcast and top 20 Indian Education Podcast.

My show is Healthwealthbridge by Dr.Amrita

My show Healthwealthbridge is an Indian Woman Doctor Podcast talking about Health, wellness education, writing, and financial freedom for Indian moms.

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And on it, you will hear, ten minutes of evidence-backed narratives about preventing healthcare, lifestyle wellness, or interviews with healthcare experts or entrepreneurs and tips to choose right as a mom.

You should listen if you want real information to create your healthiest and most creative life and not propaganda!

Why we are the best to make this show?

We are a Doctor couple. We both had teaching experience at Government Medical College for almost ten years before we started our own practice.

Even as teacher and clinicians we wanted to spread the message of preventive health.How prevention helps.

Example: wear a mask, stay safe. Don’t smoke if you want to be healthy. Skip the fast food . Sounds simple but people often ignore these best practices.Its crazy how COVID-19 spread and now its even more important the right habits for health be promoted.No more soft stance on tobacco and substance abuse.No looking the other way when it comes to taking a stand about obesity pandemic.We are telling it how it is.

If you want the truth about what scientific research is saying, you must listen to our podcast.

We are trying to spread the right health information in a sea of misinformation.

It wasn’t easy but luckily Google helps authority science-backed content rank. That’s why when our totally DIY Doctors blog started doing well we decide to start podcasting in 2018.

Its wonderful to offer my audience a chance to listen to my content even on the go.

What does my show bring to the current landscape that’s missing?

I try to bring our expertise and experience as Doctors to sharing authentic health information At least in India it’s not there for the Modern medicine platform. A few alternative healthcare practitioners do it, but that is a different story altogether.

Too many people share their version of how this or that is the healthiest food and then they promote Fast food. There is too much noise in health and wellness and through our podcast I plan to bust misconceptions. With a bang.

I think that is not something that’s happening now. It’s needed.

In it, you will hear about

Health issues, daily wellness, lifestyle healthy habits, and educational content about preventing diseases.

I also share the backstory of my own wellness & entrepreneurship journey and how they came together. In the end, you will get a five-minute must-know, about a health-wellness topic which will make your life better, guaranteed.

If you think Health is wealth, you have to subscribe to my podcast. Plus getting authority health information, from a Doctor & being aware, is the best way to stay healthy.

It is the easiest way to get your dose of health, fitness, and wellness tips quickly, even on the go. The best part is you can listen anywhere.

My latest book

A favourite episode

How do you think, knowing this will help people?

I started my Podcast in 2018 January to make health-wellness education available to all those who couldn’t read due to any reason. As an ENT surgeon, I am able to spread awareness to the people I directly interact with. But through podcasts, the reach potentially increases exponentially to help more people. While treatment always needs professional consultation, awareness and education can help prevent many serious health-wellness issues globally. Sometimes a little help is all that is needed.

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I really want my content to help people all over the world. Being an Indian podcaster, I want to eventually bring content in a language that helps those who understand Indian languages, For that, I need help and I am waiting for a brain wave.I have started a fledgling Hindi podcast which is available If you don’t like reading you can still listen and choose healthy living every day. You can also subscribe to Healthwealthbridge Flash on Amazon Alexa

The Jetpack Premium plugin helps me easily host my podcast on my website too, without causing server overload. But I started on Anchor, to see whether I could sustain it. I am happy to tell you I started in 2018 and it’s going to be two years in January 2020. I have an English and a Hindi Healthwealthbridge Podcast. The Hindi version is in the very early beta stage.I have it available on Amazon Alexa too.

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Is Your Child’s Protein Sufficient for the 2nd and the Last Growth Spurt ?

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on June 11, 2018 91

Children grow up very fast. Their energy and protein needs vary with age. The second growth spurt comes and goes, and mothers are left wondering whether a child will grow any taller. Some children, grow taller than their classmates. That’s because their moms took care of their protein needs at the right time. The second growth spurt is often missed due to less awareness about it.

But that’s the last time when what your child eats, can change his/her life.

Mothers are perennially on a tight rope. Balancing between fears of too much and too little. Both undernutrition and obesity-related malnutrition is a cause for worry. A high-calorie diet where the energy comes from refined sugars of processed food is bad for overall health. High-quality protein and matched energy is needed for the increased energy requirement during this age. They go through a tremendous, physical, hormonal and emotional growth phase, where a balanced diet is important for their complete growth.

Children need good quality protein during a second growth spurt

According to this article, Linear growth increases markedly during puberty in both sexes from approximately 5 cm/year in prepubertal males and females to 8.3 cm/year in pubertal females and 9.5 cm/year in pubertal males. Weight velocity increases from 3 kg/year in prepubertal males to 9 kg/year during puberty; the gain is composed almost entirely of lean tissue.

When does the protein requirement peak?

Diet during prepuberty years is very important because that’s when the body is getting ready for the second growth spurt

So just increasing total calorie and protein should do, right?

Not really.

The problem is both with the quantity of protein, as the quality of protein. When the diet is plant-based and protein source is plant-based, a gross deficiency occurs in the quality of protein the child receives.

This deficit will have a lifelong effect and probably the reason why the optimal height and intellectual potential is not reached.

What should moms do?

Moms make meal plans. Moms cook, Moms shop for food (Sometime Daddy does too)

Moms also know exactly how fast their child is growing and what is his/her daily activity level.

Nutrition Requirement during the second growth spurt

Nutrient requirements increase during adolescence to support rapid growth. Inappropriate nutrition can create a lasting impact on the growth, development, and physical fitness of an adolescent. Nutrients of significance during this period are:

Proteins: To support an increase in muscle mass and promotes the hormone Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations which aid in growth.

Protein should account for 15-20% of total calories. The quality of protein becomes important especially if a vegetarian or a vegan diet is followed.

What is the role of protein?

Protein influences the production and action of factors involved in growth. The growth hormone (GH)-insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF 1) system is most important. The liver produces IGF-1 under the influence of dietary proteins.IGF-1 is essential for longitudinal bone growth that is increasing in height, skeletal maturation, and bone mass acquisition. Decreased levels of IGF-1 have been found in states of undernutrition.

Calcium: To support bone growth.

Vitamin D: To facilitate the absorption of calcium in bones

Iron: To support blood formation and improve the physical performance of a child.

Are we taking sufficient protein in diet?

According to the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau report (India), the intake of protein was found to be low across the prepubertal age group. Its because of a lack of awareness. Even before the time of second growth spurt, children do not consume enough protein and calorie intakes to get the maximum boost to their height.

What happens if protein deficiency persists?

When protein intakes are not right, the child never grows to their maximum.

Child needs good quality protein in the right amount

Does the quality of protein consume also exert an impact?

Indian diets derive almost 60% of their protein from cereals such as wheat, rice, jawar, bajra, etc. The proteins found in these cereals are of inferior quality. The National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) survey in India, which uses household food expenditure to arrive at nutritional intakes, also indicates that about 66% of the protein in the rural population and 56% of the urban population is derived from cereals. When the main sources of their protein were plant-based ,there is a bigger need of health drinks providing the right amount of protein supplementation.

What are the sources of good quality proteins in the diet?

Good quality proteins are proteins that contain all the essential amino acids. Some sources of good quality proteins are:

Fish, Chicken, Mutton, other flesh food
Milk and milk products
Egg
Soy protein(should only be taken under doctors supervision)

Related :

Protein in your breakfast: What you must know

Proteins play an extremely important role during the second growth spurt, which is the last chance for your child to grow tall. Growth mediators such as IGF-1 help in the utilization of the dietary protein for your child’s needs.

The inadequacy of proteins in the diet may lead to stunting in children. Since Indian diets are mainly cereal-based, it is essential that both the quality and quantity of proteins in the diet are maintained.

The second growth spurt is a period of rapid growth, with increased nutritional needs. Growth during this period is faster than at any other time in a child’s life except in the first year. It offers the last window of opportunity to give your child the nutrition needed to embrace a healthy adult life. This is also the last chance to cover nutritional deficits due to picky eating in childhood. Facing this challenge of increased nutritional demand in this will help your child achieve optimal growth.

Conclusion:

Cut out the junk food. Occasional treats are okay.
Milk and milk proteins both increase IGF1 so they can be used as a source of first-class protein in the diet.
Fish is a very healthy protein source and is highly recommended.
Other animal flesh sources of protein are balanced against need and ease of availability.
Protein supplements and Threptin diskettes according to need.

When your child needs more protein and the diet needs supplementation a health drink with the right amount of protein is needed to meet the challenges of second-growth spurt head-on.

Disclaimer: This post is written for information and education. All opinions are mine written after researching adequate sources. All health decisions about your children should be taken after professional medical consultation.

——————————————————
References
1. Holick, M.F.;Dawson-Hughes, B. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press 2004 https://books.google.co.in/books?id=jDCSBgAAQBAJ

2. Bonjour JP, Schürch MA, Chevalley T, Ammann P, Rizzoli R. Protein intake, IGF-1 and osteoporosis. Osteoporos Int. 1997;7 Suppl 3:S36-42.

3. Swaminathan S, Vaz M, Kurpad AV. Protein intakes in India. Br J Nutr. 2012 Aug;108 Suppl 2:S50-8. doi: 10.1017/S0007114512002413

4. Kulsum A Jr, Lakshmi JA, Prakash J. Food intake and energy protein adequacy of children from an urban slum in Mysore, India – a qualitative analysis. Malays J Nutr. 2008 Sep;14(2):163-72. Epub 2008 Sep 15. PubMed PMID: 22691773

5. Diet and Nutritional Status of Rural Population, Prevalence of Hypertension & Diabetes among Adults and Infant & Young Child Feeding Practices -Report of Third Repeat Survey. NNMB technical report26. 2012

6)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22691773

7)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266867/

8)http://icmr.nic.in/final/rda-2010.pdf

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