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Zinc supplementation increases growth velocity of male children and adolescents with short stature
Author(s) -
CastilloDurán C,
García H,
Venegas P,
Torrealba I,
Panteón E,
Concha N,
Pérez P
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1994.tb13154.x
Subject(s) - medicine , growth velocity , short stature , zinc , pediatrics , body height , body weight , materials science , metallurgy
We assessed the effect of zinc supplementation on growth velocity in 79 children and adolescents (48 males, 38 females) with idiopathic short stature. Their height‐for‐age was < 5th percentile (NCHS standards) and their weight‐for‐age was normal. Patients were assigned randomly to a supplemented group (S) to receive Zn 10 mg/day or to a placebo (P) group, according to gender and age, and were followed‐up for 12 months using a double‐blind design. Weight, height, armspan, length of lower segment and plasma and hair concentrations of Zn were measured at 0, 3, 6 and 12 months. On admission and at 6 months, energy, protein, dietary fiber and zinc intakes were similar for groups S and P; mean zinc intake was < 6.5mg/day. No differences were found in plasma zinc, hair zinc, weight. armspan or lower segment increments. Pre‐adolescent males in group S had a significantly greater increase in stature compared with group P (6.2 ± 2.1 versus 4.5 ± 1.2 cm/year p < 0.025); z score improved from —2.42 to —2.24 in group S and from — 2.63 to — 2.61 in group P. For adolescent males, the difference was also significant (8.3 ± 1.5 versus 6.2 & 2.1 cm/year; p < 0.025). No differences were noted in females. In Chilean male schoolchildren and adolescents with idiopathic short stature, zinc supplementation increases growth velocity over a 12‐month period.