Conclusions : Many of the children in the included studies were already stunted and may have been suffering from multiple micronutrient deficiencies , and therefore zinc supplementation alone may have only a limited effect on growth
Background / objectives : It is estimated that zinc deficiency affects 17 % of the world 's population , and because of periods of rapid growth children are at an increased risk of deficiency , which may lead to stunting .
This paper presents a systematic review and meta- analysis of the r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) that assess zinc intake and growth in children aged 1–8 years .
Zinc supplementation reduced morbidity, but neither zinc nor iron supplementation affected growth or body composition of Mexican preschoolers.
In rural Mexico and in many developing countries micronutrient deficiencies , growth stunting , and morbidity from infectious diseases are highly prevalent in young children . We assessed the extent to which growth stunting could be reversed and the number of infectious disease episodes reduced by zinc and /or iron supplementation . In a double-blind , r and omized community trial 219 Mexican preschoolers were supplemented with either 20 mg Zn as zinc methionine , 20 mg Fe as ferrous sulfate , 20 mg Zn + 20 mg Fe , or a placebo . After 12 mo , plasma zinc increased significantly in the two zinc-treated groups , and plasma ferritin was significantly higher in the two iron-treated groups . There was no effect of treatments on growth velocity or body composition . Children in both zinc-supplemented groups had fewer episodes of disease ( zinc alone , 3.9 + /- 0.3 ; zinc+iron , 3.7 + /- 0.4 ; placebo , 4.6 + /- 0.5 ; P < 0.03 ) , including diarrhea ( zinc alone , 0.7 + /- 0.1 ; zinc+iron , 0.8 + /- 0.1 ; placebo , 1.1 + /- 0.2 ; P < 0.01 ) . Zinc and zinc+iron supplements reduced morbidity but had no effect on growth or body composition
Conclusions : Many of the children in the included studies were already stunted and may have been suffering from multiple micronutrient deficiencies , and therefore zinc supplementation alone may have only a limited effect on growth
Background / objectives : It is estimated that zinc deficiency affects 17 % of the world 's population , and because of periods of rapid growth children are at an increased risk of deficiency , which may lead to stunting .
This paper presents a systematic review and meta- analysis of the r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) that assess zinc intake and growth in children aged 1–8 years .