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Zinc supplements increased growth more in stunted infants than in non-stunted infants

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 QUESTION: In stunted and non-stunted infants, do zinc supplements promote growth?

Design

Randomised (unclear allocation concealment*), blinded (investigators and field assistants),* placebo controlled trial with 6 months of follow up.

Setting

Dodota Sire district, central Ethiopia, Africa.

Patients

100 stunted (length for age Z score [LAZ] <–2) and 100 non-stunted (LAZ >–2) infants who were 6 to 12 months of age. Inclusion criteria were apparent health and willing participation of mothers. Exclusion criterion was diagnosis of intestinal parasites. 90% (mean age 10 mo, 53% boys) of stunted and 94% (mean age 9 mo, 53% girls) of non-stunted infants completed the 6 months follow up.

Intervention

Stunted and non-stunted infants were matched by sex, age, and recumbent length and allocated within the pair to zinc supplement, 10 mg of zinc sulfate in 3 ml of …

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Footnotes

  • Source of funding: Nestlé Foundation for the Study of the Problems of Nutrition in the World.

  • For correspondence: Professor C E West, Division of Human Nutrition and Epidemiology, Wageningen University, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, the Netherlands. Fax +31 317 4 83342.

  • * See glossary.