Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Zinc Supplementation Reduces Infectious Disease Morbidity WASHINGTON, DC -- July 30, 1998 -- Dietary 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 today. 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 centre 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. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version