Specific Nutritional Needs for Children: Are Children Small Adults?

Nutrition is age specific, in all aspects. The intake of young children depends on their caretakers. It is obvious that growth and development cause major changes in children. However, these changes not only consider size but also body composition and maturation of many (digestive) functions. Energy and nutrient requirements do not only depend on intake, but also on expenditure. The latter depends on many variables such as physical activity. Physiological needs for calories differ according to age. Also the needs for macro- and micronutrients are age-dependent. As a consequence, it is impossible to deduce recommendations for children from adult data. Because of changing physical activity, and because of errors in earlier techniques to measure intake and expenditure, recommendations for energy intake may have to be updated.