Question

A female infant was found to have an X-shaped leg and a calcium deficiency after hospital examination. Is calcium supplementation necessary? Please seek professional advice.

Answer

While calcium is essential for an infant’s growth, it’s not the more, the better. Excessive calcium can lead to negative effects, such as increased renal burden and a higher risk of kidney stones for iron, zinc, and other minerals. Over-supplementation may cause iron and zinc deficiencies in infants, which are also important minerals but are more prone to deficiency compared to calcium. Additionally, not all supplemented calcium is fully absorbed; the unabsorbed calcium passes through the large intestine and is excreted in the stool, forming fatty acid calcium that can lead to constipation and hard stools.