title: Zinc supplementation during pregnancy in low-income teenagers of Mexican descent: effects on selected blood constituents and on progress and outcome of pregnancy.
abstract: As a follow-up of our study of pregnant women, we report effects of zinc supplementation during pregnancy in another population of 138 Hispanic teenagers in Los Angeles. Teenagers were randomized (double-blind) to a control or zinc-supplemented group and received similar daily vitamin and mineral supplements except for 20 mg zinc added to the zinc-supplemented group's capsules. Initially, mean dietary zinc intakes of both groups were about 50% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance and their mean serum zinc levels did not differ significantly (69.8 +/- 11.2 micrograms/dl in control and 69.0 +/- 11.4 micrograms/dl in zinc-supplemented group). Zinc supplementation did not maintain mean serum zinc levels during pregnancy but, as in our earlier study, it reduced (p = 0.018) the number of low serum zinc values (less than or equal to 53 micrograms/dl) in late pregnancy. Zinc supplementation did not affect outcome of pregnancy but serum zinc levels were lower (p = 0.038) in teenagers with pregnancy-induced hypertension than in normotensives.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D001724:Birth Weight; D002140:California; D004032:Diet; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011939:Mental Recall; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D011897:Random Allocation; D012709:Serum Albumin; D015032:Zinc / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin; D015032:Zinc