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A preliminary report: effects of zinc and micronutrient repletion on growth and neuropsychological function of urban Chinese children.

OBJECTIVE
Zinc is essential for growth and cognition of experimental animals. Past research found zinc repletion improved growth of stunted Chinese children. Therefore we measured effects of zinc repletion on growth and neuropsychological functions of children.


DESIGN
Double-blind randomized controlled treatment trial.


SETTING
Elementary schools in low income districts of Chongqing, Qingdao and Shanghai.


SUBJECTS
Three hundred-seventy-two 6 to 9 year old first graders.


INTERVENTIONS
Treatments were 20 mg zinc, 20 mg zinc with micronutrients, or micronutrients alone. The micronutrient mixture was based on guidelines of the US NAS/NRC. Treatments were assigned to classrooms of 40 or more children each, and administered by teachers 6 days per week for 10 weeks.


MEASURES OF OUTCOME
Changes in knee height and neuropsychological functions.


RESULTS
Zinc alone had the least effect on growth while zinc with micronutrients had the largest effect; micronutrients alone had an intermediate effect. Zinc-containing treatments improved neuropsychological functions, but micronutrients alone had little effect.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings confirm the essentiality of zinc for growth of children, and show, for the first time, the essentiality of zinc for neuropsychological functions of children. In addition, the need for repletion of other potentially limiting nutrients in studies examining the effects of specific nutrients on growth and neuropsychological functions was confirmed.