PediaSure Vs Ensure (With Table)

Food supplements have become a necessity in today’s life to make up for the lack of time and improper food habits. Some supplements like PediaSure and Ensure are popular brands that are prepared with scientific guidelines to fulfill our nutritional needs. But do you know the vital difference between PediaSure and Ensure? Here is a table illustrating Pediasure vs. Ensure.

Comparison Table: PediaSure vs Ensure

Criteria	PediaSure	Ensure
Age Group	This is meant for kids between 3-13 years of age. For children below 2 years, a doctor’s consultation is required.	Ensure is for the adult age group and for the frail elderly health management too. As such, it is given to hospital patients too.
DHA	DHA is required for the brain development of children below 5 years of age. Therefore, PediaSure contains DHA.	Ensure doesn’t contain DHA.
Formulation	Both the formulation differ widely as the nutrient requirement of adults and kids are vastly different.	Ensure has higher amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, biotin, selenium, copper, magnesium, chromium, and niacin.
Flavors	PediaSure is tastier and has more flavors so that it might appeal to kids.	Appeal to taste buds isn’t the highest requirement when it comes to adult foods so Ensure has less flavor available.

Foods are fuel to our bodies. Not only do they provide the energy necessary for all bio-chemical processes and physical processes to continue smoothly in the body, but they also promote the growth of the body, restore and maintain the immune system, and ensure we are performing at an optimal level.

In today’s busy lifestyle, it has become increasingly harder to find the time to have balanced meals that meet all of the body’s requirements. And in the last few decades nutrition, science has advanced in monumental leaps. So that now your necessary nutrients now come in a jar bottle. They are usually called supplements because they are supplementing our usual, essential nutrients.

But why is supplementing essential? The obvious reason is that the body isn’t getting enough of the required nutrients. But there are several causes why. Due to a particular form of diet that lacks a particular nutrient.

Several diseases can wash sway our reserves of vitamins, minerals, and fat. People could be allergic to certain foods rich in particular nutrients. In all these areas, nutritional supplements have a role to play. They are not meant to replace actual home-cooked meals but, as their name suggests, act as supplements.

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About PediaSure

Every age group has its own nutrition requirements. Any parent or anybody who has studied nutrition would know that children need more nutrients than adults because of their rapid growth and development.

Children don’t have reserves of vitamins or minerals and as their bodies grow they need more protein and energy to support that growth. But not only are kids fussy eaters but the really young ones aren’t given a lot of complex foods. Therefore, nutritional supplements for them ensure a sustainable diet that is beneficial for them.

PediaSure is one such nutritional supplement for kids. It can be given to kids up to 13 years of age. However, if the kid is 2 years or younger it is advisable to consult a doctor first.

PediaSure is manufactured by Abbott Healthcare Pvt Ltd. According to Pediasure’s official website, the formulation contains carbohydrates, proteins, vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin B complex, and milk protein to ensure proper growth and development of the child.

It also contains anti-oxidants, probiotics, DHA, essential fatty acids for immunity development and brain development of the kid. It comes in several delicious flavors like vanilla and chocolate and therefore is quite tasty. This is a strong marketing point for a kid’s nutrition drink.

About Ensure

As we grow older, our body starts to degenerate or in the least starts to lose its vitality. Our immune system becomes more susceptible to diseases. Our other bodily systems too start getting weak.

In such a condition, the body needs all the reinforcements it can get. To serve this purpose there are a ton of nutritional supplements targeted towards the elderly population and even adults.

Ensure is one such nutritional supplement. It is also manufactured by Abbott Healthcare Pvt Ltd. Hence, the similarity in the names. As it is targeted towards adults and the elderly, its formulation is completely different from Pediasure.

The amount of calorie is the same as PediaSure but the amount of certain nutrients are increased to meet the requirements of the adult body. It has higher amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, biotin, selenium, copper, magnesium, chromium, and niacin. This formulation is recommended for hospitalized patients as well as recovery food when a patient isn’t able to ingest or digest complex food matter. The dosage is regulated as per requirement.

Ensure isn’t available in so many flavors or isn’t as tasty as Pediasure because well, adults aren’t fussy about their food.

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Difference Between PediaSure and Ensure

1) Age Group

PediaSure is meant for developing kids to provide them with optimal nutrients and the special nutrients required during the growth years, like the DHA. So, this formulation is made with kids and their requirements in mind.

Ensure is a nutritional supplement formulated for the elderly and adults. It is also prescribed for hospitalized patients as recovery food.

2) DHA

Docosahexaenoic acid is a type of Omega 3 fatty acid that is required during early childhood and pregnancy. It is noted for its role in brain development in young kids below five years of age. DHA is therefore added in the formulation of PediaSure. It is not present in the formulation of Ensure.

3) Formulation

The nutritional requirement of adults vs kids vary vastly. Therefore, even if the nutrients present in the formulation are the same, their dosage or quantity varies greatly. Ensure has higher amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, biotin, selenium, copper, magnesium, chromium, and niacin.

4) Flavors

Children are fussy eaters, they want tasty meals. PediaSure is flavorful in taste with a range of flavors to excite the kids’ imagination and tastebuds. That is, however, not an issue with adults so a smaller range of flavors is available for Ensure.

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Summary

During this age of pandemic, people are looking to fortify their immune systems in all possible ways. And marketing from hundreds of brands make it look like, their supplement is the solution to our health problems. So, whenever purchasing a health supplement carefully read the label and check the ingredients. It is always advisable to consult a doctor before starting any new supplement.