Third World Kids Benefit From Zinc

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Zinc supplements can improve the odds of survival for children living in countries with high rates of malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea.

In a new study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, young kids ages 12 to 48 months were 18-percent less likely to die if they were given daily supplements of the essential nutrient.

Children younger than 12 months old didn't benefit as much, but investigators believe it may be because these children receive enough zinc from their mothers during pregnancy or through breast-feeding to get them through the first year of life. Younger children also received lower doses of zinc -- 5 milligrams per day versus 10 milligrams for the older children in the study.

The authors explain zinc is an important trace element in the body, second only to iron in prevalence. Zinc's key role is to help maintain a healthy immune system.

The new study compared the effects of zinc supplements in around 42,000 children in Zanzibar. About half received the supplements while the other half were given a daily placebo for comparison purposes.

Lead study author Sunil Sazawal, Ph.D., calls for more study on zinc supplements to evaluate the effects of higher doses, but reports the findings "suggest benefit in children age 6 months and up."

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SOURCE: The Lancet, 2007;369