Both groups were given vitamins, but in one group, children received additional supplements of zinc. Twenty-four children in the supplemented group contracted acute lower respiratory infections, compared to 44 episodes in the other group. Zinc may fight pneumonia and other infections by enhancing the body's immune status, preventing the infection from establishing itself or improving the immune system's ability to rid itself of the infecting organism, the researchers write. Previous studies have shown that zinc reduces the rate of diarrhea in young children and improves growth. A mild form of zinc deficiency is common in children in the United States and even more so in other parts of the world.
Children affected have poor appetite, suboptimal growth, and reduced sense of taste and smell.
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