Health products for children to nourish their brain and nerves

Healthy children without medical indications do not need additional supplements at all. Only children with specific nutritional deficiencies, neurodevelopmental abnormalities or disease needs who have been evaluated by pediatricians, pediatric neurologists or nutritionists need to supplement on demand under professional guidance. Parents should not buy it on their own or give it to their children at will.

I have been in a pediatric nutrition clinic for almost 6 years. Parents who ask this question account for more than 30% of daily consultations. Last week, a mother came in with a bag full of algal oil DHA, phosphatidylserine, and imported nervonic acid. She said that her son who had just entered elementary school could not sit still in class. I heard the live broadcast host said that supplementing these can improve concentration and get high scores. It cost more than 3,000 yuan in half a month. In fact, I have seen this kind of scene too many times. When most parents buy this kind of health care products, they are essentially paying for their own parenting anxiety. Even the people who buy them may not be able to tell how useful they are to their children.

The most popular products on the market now are various types of algae oil DHA. If you browse any maternal and child live broadcast room, you will see the promotion of "DHA supplementation will win you at the starting line". First, let’s talk about the current consensus in the industry: For premature infants with a small gestation age, or children who do not eat fish at all in their daily diet, and whose intake of eggs and milk is seriously insufficient, supplementing DHA in doses according to the doctor’s instructions can indeed supplement the nutrients needed for neurological development. However, when it comes to healthy children who eat normally, the academic community is still very noisy - there is a small sample study saying that additional supplementation It can slightly improve cognitive reaction speed. There is also a large sample follow-up data that lasted for 8 years. It shows that there is no statistical difference in the intelligence and attention level of children who take supplements and those who do not take supplements at school age. To put it bluntly, most of the time it is a placebo effect. The imported algae oil you spend hundreds of dollars to buy, and the amount you get from eating steamed salmon with your baby twice a week, is not different at all.

In the past two years, phosphatidylserine and nervonic acid have become extremely popular. The commercial promotions are all about "improving ADHD", "improving concentration" and "activating brain cells". The most exaggerated parents I have ever met spend more than 2,000 a month on these supplements for their children, just because the teacher said that the children tend to wander off in class. To be honest, most of the existing research on these ingredients is focused on children who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As nutritional supplements for auxiliary intervention, there is currently insufficient clinical data to support whether healthy children will benefit from eating them in the long term. I also treated a 7-year-old boy last year. His mother gave him nervonic acid supplements bought overseas for 3 months. Not only did the boy’s attention not improve, but he often complained of nausea and loss of appetite. The transaminases were found to be high after a test, and it took two months to stop before returning to normal. To put it bluntly, those brain supplements that boast that "you can take the top ten exams after taking them" are essentially anxiety painkillers marketed by sellers. If they were really effective, then everyone would not need to go to school and just take supplements every day.

Many parents tend to confuse ordinary health foods with clinical nutritional supplements. For example, for some children with neurodevelopmental delays, epilepsy, or B vitamin deficiency, the methylcobalamin, vitamin B12, and levocarnitine prescribed by doctors are drugs or medical nutritional supplements with clear therapeutic effects. They are not the same thing as the Jian brand health products sold on the market. Don't think about buying your own health products instead, which will delay your child's treatment. If you really need to supplement after a doctor's evaluation, don't blindly buy those imported products from Internet celebrities whose ingredients are not clearly labeled. Choose products with domestic blue hat labels and clearly labeled dosages. Just take them as required. Don't think that more supplements will be more effective. The principle of "too much is not enough" applies everywhere.

To be honest, my own sister asked me last month if I wanted to buy the "Number One Brain Gold" gift box that costs more than 1,000 yuan a box for my third-grade nephew. I directly asked her to take the baby for a nutritional assessment. All indicators were normal, so I asked her to give it to the baby every week. I cooked yellow croaker and steamed seabass twice. I ensured one egg and 300ml of milk every day. I went to bed before 9:30 pm. I took it out for cycling and jumping more on weekends. It has only been two months. I got a perfect score in the last midterm math test. It is more effective than any supplement.

Interestingly, many parents are willing to spend thousands to buy a variety of brain supplements, but are not willing to spend 10 minutes to see whether their children have a balanced diet, whether they sleep enough 10 hours a day, and whether they sit for too long and exercise too little. After all, it seems easier to spend money to buy a small pill than to patiently accompany your child to develop good living habits, and it can also relieve your own anxiety. However, children's neurodevelopment is inherently a long-term and complex process. How can there be any magic medicine that can achieve the goal in one step? If you really feel that your baby has developmental delays and difficulty concentrating, seek professional evaluation as soon as possible. Don’t take random supplements. Your baby’s liver and kidneys are both delicate, so there is no need to pay for the marketing words of merchants.