There is no convincing evidence that zinc supplementation to infants or children results in improved motor or mental development
BACKGROUND Zinc deficiency is a significant public health problem in low- and middle-income countries .
Zinc is essential for the formation and migration of neurons along with the formation of neuronal synapses .
Its deficiency could interfere with the formation of neural pathways and with neurotransmission , thus affecting behavior ( for example , attention , activity , engagement , temperament ) and development ( for example , gross and fine motor skills , social skills ) .
Zinc supplementation provided to infants and children is a possible strategy to improve the mental and motor development of infants and children at high risk of zinc deficiency .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of zinc supplementation compared to placebo on measures of psychomotor development or cognitive function in children .
The Effects of Iron and/or Zinc Supplementation on Maternal Reports of Sleep in Infants from Nepal and Zanzibar
Background : There is some evidence that sleep patterns may be affected by iron deficiency anemia but the role of iron in sleep has not been tested in a r and omized iron supplementation trial . Objective : We investigated the effect of iron supplementation on maternal reports of sleep in infants in 2 r and omized , placebo-controlled trials from Pemba Isl and , Zanzibar , and Nepal . Design : In both studies , which had parallel design s and were carried out in years 2002 to 2003 , infants received iron – folic acid with or without zinc daily for 12 months , and assessment s of development were made every 3 months for the duration of the study . Eight hundred seventy-seven Pemban ( 12.5 ± 4.0 months old ) and 567 Nepali ( 10.8 ± 4.0 months ) infants participated .  Maternal reports of sleep patterns ( napping frequency and duration , nighttime sleep duration , frequency of night waking ) were collected . Results : Mean Hb concentration was 9.2 ± 1.1 for Pemban and 10.1 ± 1.2 g/dL for Nepali infants . Approximately , one-third of the children were stunted . Supplemental iron was consistently associated with longer night and total sleep duration . The effects of zinc supplementation also included longer sleep duration . Conclusions : Micronutrient supplementation in infants at high risk for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia was related to increased night sleep duration and less night waking
There is no convincing evidence that zinc supplementation to infants or children results in improved motor or mental development
BACKGROUND Zinc deficiency is a significant public health problem in low- and middle-income countries .
Zinc is essential for the formation and migration of neurons along with the formation of neuronal synapses .
Its deficiency could interfere with the formation of neural pathways and with neurotransmission , thus affecting behavior ( for example , attention , activity , engagement , temperament ) and development ( for example , gross and fine motor skills , social skills ) .
Zinc supplementation provided to infants and children is a possible strategy to improve the mental and motor development of infants and children at high risk of zinc deficiency .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of zinc supplementation compared to placebo on measures of psychomotor development or cognitive function in children .