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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Dietary Prevention of Obesity-related Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #97661
Title: ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION IMPROVES GROWTH IN MEXICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN

Author
item EGGAR, N - U OF TEXAS - MED BRANCH
item SANDSTEAD, HAROLD - U OF TEXAS - MED BRANCH
item Penland, James
item ALCOCK, N - U OF TEXAS - MED BRANCH
item PLOTKIN, R - U OF TEXAS - MED BRANCH
item ROCCO, C - U OF TEXAS - MED BRANCH
item ZAVALETA, A - U OF TEXAS, MED BRANCH

Submitted to: Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/17/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Zinc is essential for growth. Results of NHANES III suggest many Mexican- American children are at risk of Zn deficiency. Therefore, we conducted a 10 week double-blind, placebo controlled supplementation trial in 373 Mexican-American children (age 6-8 year) attending schools (first and second grade) in low income areas of Brownsville, TX. Outcomes were change of knee height (KH) and lean body mass (LBM, by bioelectrical impedance analysis). All children participated in the USDA school breakfast/lunch program. Supplements were placebo (P), micronutrients only (M, a vitamin- mineral mixture providing 50% of the RDA or mean ESADDI excluding Zn, Fe, Ca, Mg and phosphate), 20 mg zinc with M (ZnM), and 24 mg iron with M (FeM). Zn and Fe contents were confirmed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Supplements were administered by the teachers 5 days per week in the morning with fruit juice or milk. In the second graders, LBM and KH increased significantly compared to pretreatment, in the ZnM group more than the others. Mean postintervention increases for LBM were 1.36, 1.21, 1.62, 0.68 kg for the P, M, ZnM, and FeM groups, respectively (p=0.041, ANOVA). KH increased 7.34, 6.55, 8, and 6.31 mm for the P, M, ZnM, and FeM groups, respectively (p=0.0005, ANOVA). The response in the first graders had a higher variability and was nonsignificant. We conclude that zinc deficiency is prevalent in this community and that the bioavailability of Zn in the USDA breakfast/lunch program should be reevaluated. (Supported by The Gerber Foundation, the USDA, and The General Nutrition Company).