Micronutrients & recovery
Zinc supplementation reduces the incidence, duration, and severity of diarrheal episodes and acute lower respiratory tract infections in children under five in low- and middle-income countries.
For families in resource-limited settings, ensuring children receive zinc supplements (10mg/day for <3 years, 20mg/day for older) during diarrhea episodes (for 10-14 days) significantly reduces the severity and duration of illness. However, relying solely on therapeutic use is suboptimal; preventive strategies are needed to maintain zinc status and reduce overall morbidity.
Supplementation with zinc in populations at-risk of deficiency have shown a reduction in the incidence of premature delivery, decreased morbidity from diarrhoea and acute lower respiratory tract infection, reduced duration and severity of diarrhoeal episodes, and improved linear growth and weight gain in children less than 5 years of age
Why this rating
Supported by multiple randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses cited in the review.
Source
Zinc deficiency in low‐ and middle‐income countries: prevalence and approaches for mitigation
Swarnim Gupta et al. · Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics · 2020
DOI 10.1111/jhn.12791
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- Zinc deficiency is a widespread public health problem in low- and middle-income countries, with prevalence often exceeding 20% in various physiological groups, as measured by plasma zinc concentration.Good
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