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Prophylactic zinc supplement decreased diarrheal episodes in normal children
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Diarrhea morbidity in populations of infants aged 6 to 11 months with high prevalence of wasting and stunting can be reduced with short-course prophylactic zinc supplementation for 2 weeks, according to recent study results published in Pediatrics.
“Zinc is required for multiple cellular tasks and the immune system depends on the sufficient availability of this essential trace element,” researchers wrote. “Zinc deficiency is common in several developing countries, including India. This is because the commonly consumed staple foods have low zinc contents and are high in phytates, which inhibit absorption and utilization of zinc.”
The randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial included 272 infants aged 6 to 11 months from an urban resettlement colony in Delhi, India, between Jan. 1, 2011, and Jan. 15, 2012. Participants were randomly assigned 20 mg zinc or a placebo orally every day for 2 weeks.
Researchers found a 39% (incident rate ratio=0.61; 95% CI, 0.53-0.71) reduction in episodes of diarrhea in the zinc group compared with the placebo group.
There also were decreases in episodes of acute diarrhea (31%), episodes of persistent diarrhea (70%) and episodes of dysentery (>95%).
The zinc group also had a 39% decrease in overall days with diarrhea and a 36% decrease in duration per episode of diarrhea.
“Diarrhea continues to kill millions of children around the world and leaves several others malnourished,” Akash Malik, MBBS, of Maulana Azad Medical College and Associated Hospitals told Infectious Diseases in Children. “Zinc has, up until now, been approved only as a therapeutic agent by WHO for diarrhea and even after being recommended its use in diarrhea still remains low. If the prophylactic effect of short course zinc supplementation in diarrhea as shown by this study can be validated and reproduced in other studies we will definitely have another tool to fight diarrhea with. Consider short course zinc prophylaxis especially in children from low socio-economic and other disadvantaged groups, likely to have under-nutrition and high incidence of diarrhea.”
Disclosure: The study was supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research, Department of Health Research.
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