e evaluated the effect of one year of
supplementation with iron plus zinc (12 mg/d
Fe+++ and 12.5 Zinc++), zinc alone (12.5
mg/day of Zn++) and placebo on the iron,
copper and selenium tissue contents in 30
well-selected children of short stature (16 M
and 14 F; 4-11 years old). Before and after
supplementation, we measured the
concentrations of iron, transferring, ferritin, zinc
and copper in serum of erythrocytes and
leukocytes, and of zinc, copper and selenium
in hair, as well as glutathion peroxidase activity
in erythrocytes. Before supplementation,
ferritin and erythrocyte and hair zinc contents
were significantly lower than in age-matched
control, while the other measured indices were
in the normal range. Iron plus zinc
supplementation caused an improvement in
growth rate in all subjects, i.e. the medium Zscore
increased from –2.22 +/- 0.45 t0 –0.65
+/-0.55 (p<0.01) In the zinc-supplemented
group, only subjects whose ferritin levels were
higher than 20 ng/L before supplementation
showed similar improvement of growth rate.
Iron plus zinc supplementation should be a
reasonable treatment in short, prepubertal
children affected by marginal zinc and iron
deficiency.
Perrone L, Salerno M, Gialanella G, Feng SL, Moro
R, Di Lascio R, Boccia E, J Trace Elem Med Biol
1999 ;13:51-56
Copyright © 2003 Anamol Laboratories Ltd.
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