Generic placeholder image

Reviews on Recent Clinical Trials

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1574-8871
ISSN (Online): 1876-1038

Review Article

Can Nutrition Play a Role as a Stimulant for COVID 19 in Children?

Author(s): Dhanasekhar Kesavelu*, Nithya Franklyn and Lekha Sreedharan

Volume 16, Issue 2, 2021

Published on: 04 November, 2020

Page: [146 - 150] Pages: 5

DOI: 10.2174/1574887115666201104154713

Price: $65

conference banner
Abstract

Background: Nutrition plays a major role in the growth and well-being of children and forms the basis of their existence. A pandemic like COVID19 poses some serious questions and challenges in the minds of practicing pediatricians as to what support they should offer children, their parents and carers alleviating their anxiety about their children’s diet and nutrition, that is critical at this time of crisis. Although the evidence for pediatric nutrition and COVID19 is not strong, this article aims to critically look into pediatric nutrition during the COVID19 pandemic and bring the most recent evidence into the limelight to facilitate making the right choices with respect to pediatric nutrition.

Methods: We performed a search on recent literature using the search terms “Covid19” + “Children” + “Nutrition” to analyze the current evidence supporting nutrition as a stimulant for covid19. A review article based on the above search results was written to highlight the importance of nutrition during this pandemic.

Results: Strong recommendations remain unchanged for breastfeeding, healthy complementary feeding, use of supplemental formula where appropriate, oral nutritional supplements, zinc, n-3& n- 6 fatty acids, and probiotics all have a certain role to play as a stimulant for Covid19 in children.

Conclusion: Current evidence emphasizes the use of additional nutritional supplements, especially in the “at risk” groups, low socio-economic status and children with chronic medical problems. Paediatric nutrition should never be overlooked and “one size does not fit all” as every child is different and children’s individual nutritional needs vary. This review points to the importance of nutrition as a stimulant to covid19 in the pediatric population.

Keywords: COVID19, nutrition, diet, children, vitamin D, ONS.

Graphical Abstract
[2]
Misra M, Pacaud D, Petryk A, Collett-Solberg PF, Kappy M. Drug and Therapeutics Committee of the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society. Vitamin D deficiency in children and its management: review of current knowledge and recommendations. Pediatrics 2008; 122(2): 398-417.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2007-1894] [PMID: 18676559]
[3]
Hollis BW, Wagner CL, Howard CR. Maternal versus infant vitamin D supplementation during lactation:A randomized controlled trial Pediatrics 2015; 136(4): 625-34.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-1669] [PMID: 26416936]
[4]
Fewtrell M, Bronsky J, Campoy C, et al. Complementary feeding. Complementary feeding: A position paper by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Committee on Nutrition. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2017; 64(1): 119-32.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000001454] [PMID: 28027215]
[5]
Grant WB, Lahore H, McDonnell SL, et al. Evidence that Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Deaths. Nutrients 2020; 12(4): E988.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu12040988] [PMID: 32252338]
[6]
Tuerk M J, Fazel N. Zinc deficiency. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology 2009; 25 (2 ): 136 -43 .
[7]
Cuevas LE, Koyanagi A. Zinc and infection: a review. Ann Trop Paediatr 2005; 25(3): 149-60.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/146532805X58076] [PMID: 16156979]
[8]
Brooks WA, Yunus M, Santosham M, et al. Zinc for severe pneumonia in very young children: double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2004; 363(9422): 1683-8.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16252-1] [PMID: 15158629]
[9]
Brooks WA, Santosham M, Naheed A, et al. Effect of weekly zinc supplements on incidence of pneumonia and diarrhoea in children younger than 2 years in an urban, low-income population in Bangladesh: randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2005; 366(9490): 999-1004.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67109-7] [PMID: 16168782]
[10]
Overbeck S, Rink L, Haase H. Modulating the immune response by oral zinc supplementation: a single approach for multiple diseases. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 2008; 56(1): 15-30.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00005-008-0003-8] [PMID: 18250973]
[11]
Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Washington, DC: National Academy Press 2001.
[12]
Norris ML2, Robinson A2, et al. Use of cyproheptadine to stimulate appetite and body weight gain: A systematic review-Harrison ME1 Appetite 2019; 137: 62 -72 .
[13]
Gutiérrez S, Svahn SL, Johansson ME. Effects of Omega-3 fatty acids on immune cells. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20(20): 5028.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms20205028]
[14]
Qiukui H,, Bi Rong D,, Taixiang W. Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015; 2: CD006895
[15]
World Gastroenterology Organisation Global Guidelines-Probiotics and prebiotics 2017.

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy