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 .
Daily supplementation with iron plus folic acid, zinc, and their combination is not associated with younger age at first walking unassisted in malnourished preschool children from a deficient population in rural Nepal.
A community-based , cluster-r and omized , placebo-controlled trial of daily zinc and /or iron+folic acid supplementation was conducted in rural southern Nepal to examine  motor milestone attainment among 3264 children 1 - 36 mo of age between 2001 and 2006 . Treatment groups included placebo , zinc ( 10 mg ) , iron+folic acid ( 12.5 mg iron + 50 microg folic acid ) , and zinc+iron+folic acid ( 10 mg zinc + 12.5 mg iron + 50 microg folic acid ) . Infants received half of these doses . The iron arms were stopped November 2003 by recommendation of the Data Safety and Monitoring Board ; zinc and placebo continued until January 2006 . A total of 2457 children had not walked at the time of entry into the trial and 1775 were followed through 36 mo .  Mean age at first walking unassisted did not differ among groups and was 444 + /- 81 d ( mean + /- SD ) in the placebo group , 444 + /- 81 d in the zinc group , 464 + /- 85 d in the iron+folic acid group , and 446 + /- 87 d in the iron+folic acid+zinc group . Results were similar after adjustment for age at enrollment , asset ownership , maternal literacy , and prior child deaths in the household and in children who consumed at least 60 tablets . Compared with placebo , iron+folic acid was associated with an adjusted mean delay of 28.0 d ( 95 % CI : 11.3 , 44.7 ) in time to walking among infants and the delay was more pronounced with mid-upper arm circumference ( MUAC ) < 9.5 cm [ 60.6 d , ( 95 % CI : 28.5 , 92.6 ) ] . Risks and benefits of universal iron+folic acid supplementation of infants beyond improved hematologic status deserve further consideration
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 .