 ietary 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
(AJCN 1998; 68:2-S).
 Several studies of acute diarrhea
treatment found illness duration reduced up to 23 percent 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 percent 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 percent 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 percent 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.  | 
jhsph.edu. Abstracts of the studies are available on the web at http://ih1.sph.jhu.edu/chr/chr.htm.