# Another study on diarrhea and zinc deficiency in infants



## echris (Jul 19, 2000)

Zinc Supplementation Relieves ChronicDiarrhea in Children WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Dec 05 - Children under age 5 who havesevere diarrhea tend to recover more quickly if given zinc supplements, according toan analysis of studies conducted in developing countries. The findings, published in the December issue of the American Journal of ClinicalNutrition, may apply to any child who experiences severe diarrhea, according toDr. Robert E. Black, of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, andcolleagues. "Perhaps the use of this effective and inexpensive nutrient supplement would behelpful in efforts to reduce the now common treatment of diarrhea with unnecessaryantibiotics and other drugs," the authors suggest. It is not clear, however, whether such supplements would benefit children indeveloped countries who do not have nutritional deficiencies. The children studiedtended to benefit more if they had zinc deficiency before treatment started. "The effect of zinc appears to be by correction of a deficiency in the child becauseof poor diet," Dr. Black told Reuters Health. "Since US children have better zincintakes than developing country children, they may have less effect. On the otherhand, US children often consume less than the recommended amounts of zinc." The analysis found that doubling the recommended amount of zinc reduced theduration of acute and persistent diarrhea. The US recommended dietary allowanceis 1 mg/day for infants up to 1 year of age and 10 mg/day for children untiladolescence. According to the report, zinc-supplemented children with acute diarrhea, defined asat least three episodes a day, had a 15% lower risk of continuing diarrhea on agiven day than children not receiving zinc. Children with persistent diarrhea (lastingat least 7 days) who were supplemented with zinc were 24% less likely to havecontinuing diarrhea than those who were not supplemented. The effect was most pronounced in children with persistent diarrhea who were maleand younger than 12 months. The study included 10 trials conducted in India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Peru andPakistan, which looked at the benefit of zinc supplements in children under 5 yearsold. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;72:000-000.


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Thanks, echris.







JeanG


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