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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Preparation of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and the Evaluation of their Antibacterial Effects

Preparation of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and the Evaluation of their Antibacterial Effects

Published on: September 27, 2024

Zinc supplements for preventing otitis media.

Katharine Abba¹, Anjana Gulani, Harshpal S Sachdev

¹International Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK, L3 5QA.

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

|February 19, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Zinc supplements show mixed results for preventing otitis media in children. While some studies found no significant difference, one indicated a lower incidence rate, and a small trial suggested benefits for malnourished infants.

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Area of Science:

Pediatrics
Infectious Diseases
Nutritional Science

Background:

Otitis media, a common ear infection, particularly affects young children and causes significant hearing loss globally, especially in low-income countries.
Zinc supplements are known to prevent pneumonia in disadvantaged children, prompting investigation into their role in preventing otitis media.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the efficacy of zinc supplements in preventing otitis media across various age groups, including adults and children.

Main Methods:

A systematic review of randomized, placebo-controlled trials was conducted, searching databases like CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE.
Trials included participants receiving zinc supplements at least weekly for a minimum of one month for otitis media prevention.
Data were extracted and analyzed using risk ratios, rate ratios, and mean differences, with results combined where appropriate.

Main Results:

Twelve trials were identified, with ten contributing outcome data. In healthy children from low-income communities, two trials showed no significant difference in otitis media incidence, while one trial reported a significantly lower rate with zinc supplementation.
A small trial involving malnourished infants suggested a potential benefit of zinc in reducing the mean number of otitis media episodes.
Zinc supplements were generally well-tolerated, with vomiting being a rare adverse event.

Conclusions:

The evidence regarding zinc supplementation's effectiveness in preventing otitis media in healthy children under five in low- and middle-income countries is inconclusive.
Limited evidence suggests a possible benefit in children treated for marasmus, but this requires further investigation due to the small sample size of the supporting trial.