Patient's question:
My daughter has recently been refusing to sleep well at night. Every night, she cries and fusses until 1 or 2 a.m. before finally falling asleep, and she doesn't eat as much as she used to. In the past month, she hasn't grown much either. This has left the adults in the house both tired and worried. My colleague mentioned that their baby is similar, and a hospital check revealed a calcium deficiency.What kind of help am I looking for: Can a six-month-old baby take both calcium and zinc supplements simultaneously?
Doctor's answer:
First supplement zinc, then calcium, and you can take them 2 hours apart. When zinc and calcium are taken together, they enter the body simultaneously. Calcium is a macroelement with high activity, and the two can compete for carrier proteins, leading to a inhibitory effect. This prevents zinc from being absorbed while promoting calcium absorption. The primary physiological function of zinc is to aid in enzyme formation and promote the differentiation of body cells, such as bone cells. If bone cells fail to differentiate, it's no surprise that calcium has nowhere to deposit. This is why many people take calcium supplements but see no effect. The combination of zinc and calcium supplementation is simply a marketing strategy that takes advantage of consumers' desire to get two benefits for the price of one, right?