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Published on: October 29, 2017
The evidence linking zinc deficiency with children's cognitive and motor functioning
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. mblack@peds.umaryland.edu
The Journal of Nutrition
|May 6, 2003
Summary
Zinc supplementation shows mixed results for children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Micronutrient Research
Background:
- Zinc is crucial for children's development.
- Assessing zinc's role often involves supplementation trials in potentially deficient populations.
- Previous research has explored zinc's impact on behavior and development across different age groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review published zinc-supplementation trials.
- To examine the effects of zinc on cognitive and motor functioning in children.
- To identify trends and inconsistencies in the existing research.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of zinc-supplementation studies.
- Analysis of trials involving fetuses, infants, toddlers, and school-aged children.
- Categorization of outcomes based on activity, motor development, and mental/cognitive performance.
Main Results:
- Zinc supplementation was linked to increased activity in three studies.
- Motor development showed varied results: improvements in some vulnerable infants, but no impact in others.
- Cognitive function in infants and toddlers yielded mixed results, with one study showing lower scores with supplementation.
- School-aged children showed benefits in reasoning and neuropsychological processes in two studies, with one showing no impact.
Conclusions:
- Evidence suggests a link between zinc deficiency and impaired cognitive/motor function, particularly in vulnerable children.
- A clear consensus on zinc's benefits is lacking.
- Further research is needed on the timing of deficiency and interactions with other micronutrients.
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