To read the abstract, go to Double Burden of Iron Deficiency in Infancy and Low Socioeconomic Status: A Longitudinal Analysis of Cognitive Test Scores to Age 19 Years.

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2)  Even though children received iron therapy in infancy which corrected their iron deficiency anemia in all cases, the iron-deficient children had lower motor scores than their iron-sufficient counterparts when tested in infancy, at age 5, and in early adolescence. The difference in motor scores remained constant throughout.

Citation:
Effects of iron deficiency in infancy on patterns of motor development over time. Shafir T, Angulo-Barroso R, Calatroni A, Jimenez E, Lozoff B. Human Movement Science 2006 Oct.

To read the abstract, go to Effects of iron deficiency in infancy on patterns of motor development over time.

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3)  Children with chronic iron deficiency in infancy, even though the condition was corrected, had lower quality of mother-child interaction at age 5 than the iron-sufficient children. Status of mother-child reciprocity was based on tasks such as eye contact, shared positive affect and turn taking. Likewise, mothers of the children in the iron-deficient group were less responsive. The authors suggest that these sustained differences in mother-child interaction may be a factor in other long-term behavior and developmental outcomes reported in children with iron deficiency in infancy.

Citation:

Iron Deficiency in Infancy and Mother-Child Interaction at 5 Years. Corapci F, Radan AE, Lozoff B. Journal of Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics 2006 Oct;27(5):371-8.

To read the abstract, go to Iron Deficiency in Infancy and Mother-Child Interaction at 5 Years.

IS ZINC THE MISSING LINK TO OVERCOME MICRONUTRIENT MALNUTRITION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES?

Though zinc deficiency was identified as a major risk factor to the global burden of disease, it has still not been included on the United Nations micronutrient priority list. This omission poses an obstacle for efforts to combat childhood stunting, morbidity and mortality in developing countries.

Zinc is necessary for the proper functioning of more than 100 enzymes involved in multiple body functions. Zinc deficiency can affect physical growth, immune functions, reproductive functions and neuro-behavioral development. At all age levels, adverse health consequences accompany zinc deficiency.

Randomized controlled trials have shown the beneficial effects of zinc supplementation on physical growth for pre-pubertal children, diarrheal and pneumonia infection reduction in infants and young children, and malarial severity. In Bangladesh, increased zinc intake was shown to reduce by 51% deaths resulting from non-injury among infants and preschool children. Peruvian pregnant women receiving zinc, iron and folate supplementation showed improved fetal neuro-behavioral development compared to those receiving only iron and folate alone.

Zinc deficiency in developing countries is caused by dietary inadequacies, diseases that induce zinc loss or impaired zinc utilization, and physiological states that require increased zinc intake (e.g. periods of rapid growth, pregnancy).

Both short-term and long-term strategies can be implemented to reduce the health consequences of zinc deficiency.

• Zinc supplementation is a short-term strategy.  It requires a systematic large-scale program that provides a consistent supply and delivery to targeted populations. For effectiveness, it is completely dependent on individual compliance.

• Fortification can be executed at the national level and will not require change in existing dietary patterns or contact with the population. Several efficacy trials have shown improvements in health outcomes among individuals receiving fortified supplemental foods.

• Dietary modification or diversification is the more sustainable long-term solution to zinc deficiency. It is a more economically practical strategy that will also be culturally acceptable.  It can be used to address a variety of micronutrient deficiencies without risking adverse interactions.  Dietary changes to promote are the consumption of beef, poultry or fish, all good sources of zinc.  Food processing and cooking methods to reduce the phytate content of cereals and legumes can be introduced.  This strategy has the added benefit of improving the dietary content and bioavailability of iron, vitamin B12, vitamin A and calcium while enhancing protein quality and digestibility.

• Other possible approaches include biofortification to increase the content and/or bioavailability of zinc in staple food crops.

Ultimately, the success of any strategy to combat zinc deficiency requires the commitment of governments in developing countries to develop sustainable solutions. To raise awareness of the importance of zinc sufficiency for good health, the International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group (IZiNCG) has been established.  IZiNCG has held meetings in conjunction with other consultative groups and has published a detailed technical report.  The critical next step is zinc program recommendations.

Citation:

Zinc: the missing link in combating micronutrient malnutrition in developing countries. Gibson RS, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 2006 Feb;65(1):51-60(10).

To read the abstract, go to Zinc: the missing link in combating micronutrient malnutrition in developing countries.

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