1 In 5 Children Under Five Suffers from Stunted Growth
Growth faltering and stunted growth – a form of malnutrition – is a condition where children experience a slower rate of height and/or weight gain in childhood than expected for their age and gender.
Stunted growth is considered a growing public health concern, affecting 1 in 5 children ages five years and below, and rising in prevalence across Malaysia – from 16.6% in 2011 to 21.8% in 2019.
As the first five years is a critical phase for a child’s overall physical growth, Abbott has launched the new PediaSure Plain Flavour with 0% Sucrose. This is a continuous effort to provide children with a complete and balanced nutrition to drive optimal physical development.
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“Without proper nutrition, recurrent infections or illness can cause growth faltering or even stunting. This could lead to poor cognitive development and other serious consequences later in a child’s life,” said Dr Nina Mazera Mohd Said, Medical Director of Abbott’s nutrition business in Malaysia in a press statement to Health Matters Malaysia.
“The good news is that stunting is preventable. By identifying those at risk for under nutrition and intervening with proper nutrition early on, can help to reactivate the growth plates, and put the child on track to reaching their full growth potential.”
“Genetics determine the bone elongation, but environmental factors – including prominently, proper nutrition – help children reach their full height potential, regardless of geographical or cultural differences,” she further explained.
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Nutrients such as Vitamin D, calcium, protein, and fiber are of the utmost importance when it comes to a child’s growth and development. Vitamin D and calcium both contribute to building strong, healthy bones in children; fiber is important for supporting a healthy digestive system; and protein plays an essential role in many bodily functions, including recovery and repair of tissues in the muscles, skin, organs, blood, hair and nails. Lesser known nutrients like arginine and vitamin K2 are necessary too.
With PediaSure, parents can see the improvements in their child’s appetite in four weeks, visible growth in eight weeks and less sick days in 16 weeks. Beyond that, PediaSure also improves gut health and addresses issues around picky eating, leading to more holistic development for children.
“PediaSure offers complete and balanced nutrition, as well as visible and measurable growth results that parents can see in a matter of weeks. The newly introduced plain flavour with 0% sucrose variant offers parents more options based on their children’s tastes, lifestyles, preferences, and health needs, while delivering the same result as Vanilla and Chocolate variants,” said George Mountrichas, General Manager of Abbott’s nutrition business in Malaysia.
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The new variant offers the same benefits as the current PediaSure Vanilla and Chocolate in helping children achieve visible growth in eight weeks. It is packed with Arginine, Natural Vitamin K2, 36 other key nutrients with probiotics that aid physical development, albeit with no sucrose.
PediaSure’s Plain Flavour with 0% Sucrose comes in five sizes, 600g, 850g, 1.2kg, 1.6kg and 1.8kg and is available at all major retailers including pharmacies, supermarkets, hypermarkets, baby stores and Chinese medical halls nationwide, as well as on Lazada and Shopee.
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