For Release: July 30, 1998
Zinc Supplementation Reduces Infectious Disease Morbidity
Below are highlights of studies published in the August supplement of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition. Abstracts of the studies will be available on the web at http://ih1.sph.jhu.edu/chr/chr.htm on 7/30.
Dietary zinc supplementation may reduce morbidity due to infectious diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, according to studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition today (AJCN 1998; 68:2-S). Several studies of acute diarrhea treatment found illness duration reduced up to 23% in zinc-supplemented children when compared to control children, with zinc-supplemented children having less severe symptoms. Zinc also had a preventive effect on diarrhea, with several studies documenting an up to 38% decrease in incidence in supplemented children. Studies examining zinc's role in preventing respiratory illness also showed positive effects. One study in India demonstrated a reduction of 45% in the incidence of acute lower respiratory infections in zinc-supplemented children when compared with the control children, while a study from Vietnam reported a 2.5-fold decrease in all respiratory infections. Zinc supplementation also reduced malarial morbidity. A trial in Papua New Guinea found a decrease of malaria-attributed health center attendance of 35% in zinc-supplemented children. These findings indicate that zinc supplementation reduces the incidence and severity of serious childhood infectious diseases, and could possibly reduce child mortality.
Other studies included in the issue suggest that zinc supplementation may aid child development, with some trials finding neuropsychologic performance and growth to be improved after treatment with zinc and micronutrients.
The journal includes research by leading scientists and is based on meetings held at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore. Zinc experts from Johns Hopkins include:
-- Robert E. Black, MD, MPH, organizer of the meeting
-- Sunil Sazawal, MB, BS, PhD
-- Anuraj Shankar, DSc
-- Laura Caulfield, PhD
-- Parul Christian, PhD
If you would like further information about zinc research, or to arrange interviews with authors, please contact Laura M. Kelley at: (410) 614-5439. FAX: (410) 955-7159. E-mail: [email protected].
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