Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 May 8;47(1):109.
doi: 10.1186/s13052-021-01061-0.

Macronutrient balance and micronutrient amounts through growth and development

Giovanni Savarino  1 , Antonio Corsello  2   3 , Giovanni Corsello  4
Affiliations
Review

Macronutrient balance and micronutrient amounts through growth and development

Giovanni Savarino et al. Ital J Pediatr. .

Abstract

Nutrition is essential for human growth, particularly in newborns and children. An optimal growth needs a correct diet, in order to ensure an adequate intake of macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are the compounds that humans consume in largest quantities, mainly classified in carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Micronutrients are instead introduced in small quantities, but they are required for an adequate growth in the pediatric age, especially zinc, iron, vitamin D and folic acid. In this manuscript we describe the most important macro and micronutrients for children's growth.

Keywords: Breast milk; Infant nutrient intakes; Iron; Macronutrients; Micronutrients; Nutrition; Pediatric growth; Trace elements; Vitamin D; Vitamins; Zinc.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

References

    1. EFSA. Dietary Reference Values for nutrients Summary report. EFSA Support Publ. 2017. 10.2903/sp.efsa.2017.e1512.
    1. Carreiro AL, Dhillon J, Gordon S, Higgins KA, Jacobs AG, McArthur BM, et al. The Macronutrients, Appetite, and Energy Intake. Annu Rev Nutr. 2016;36:73–103. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shergill-Bonner R. Micronutrients. Paediatr Child Heal. (United Kingdom). 2017;27(8);357–62.
    1. Martin CR, Ling PR, Blackburn GL. Review of infant feeding: key features of breast milk and infant formula. Nutrients. 2016;8(5). 10.3390/nu8050279. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization Geneva: Dept. of nutrition for health and development. WHO Child Growth Standards: Growth velocity based on weight, length and head circumference. WHO Libr Cat. 2009