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 .
Zinc supplementation in infants born small for gestational age reduces mortality: a prospective, randomized, controlled trial.
BACKGROUND Low birth weight infants have been noted to have low zinc concentrations in cord blood , and zinc deficiency in childhood is associated with reduced immunocompetence and increased infectious disease morbidity . This study investigates whether zinc supplementation of infants born full term and small for gestational age affects mortality . METHODS A r and omized , double-blind , controlled trial with 2-by-2 factorial design enrolled 1154 full-term small for gestational age infants to receive in syrup 1 of the following : riboflavin ; riboflavin and zinc ( 5 mg as sulfate ) ; riboflavin , calcium , phosphorus , folate , and iron ; or riboflavin , zinc , calcium , phosphorus , folate , and iron . A fixed dosage of 5 mL per child was given daily from 30 to 284 days of age . Household visits were made 6 days per week to provide the syrup and conduct surveillance for illness and death . When a child 's death was reported , parental reports and medical records were used to ascertain the cause . The effects of zinc and of the combination of iron , folate , calcium , and phosphorus were analyzed by intent to treat . The mortality analysis was performed using a survival analytic approach that models time until death as the dependent variable ; all models had 2 terms as independent variables : 1 for the zinc effect and 1 for the vitamin and mineral ( calcium and phosphorus , folate and iron ) effect . RESULTS Zinc supplementation was associated with significantly lower mortality , with a rate ratio of 0.32 ( 95 % confidence interval : 0.12 - 0.89 ) . Calcium , phosphorus , folate , and iron supplementation was not associated with a mortality reduction , although a statistically nonsignificant trend toward reduction was observed with a rate ratio of 0.88 ( 95 % confidence interval : 0.36 - 2.15 ) . CONCLUSIONS  Zinc supplementation in small for gestational age infants can result in a substantial reduction in infectious disease mortality
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 .