title: Effect of zinc supplementation on growth of low birth weight infants aged 1-6 mo in Ardabil, Iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of zinc supplementation on growth of low birth weight (LBW) infants aged 1-6 mo.
  
  
  METHODS
  LBW infants were enrolled at birth and randomly assigned to receive 5 mg elemental Zn per day (n = 45) or placebo (n = 45) until 6 mo of age. They were followed monthly for information on compliance; anthropometric measurements were performed monthly.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After randomization, 5 infants from zinc group and 9 from placebo group were excluded. At 6 mo of age, significantly greater weight gains were observed in the zinc than in the placebo group (4995 ± 74 g in zinc group vs. 3896 ± 865 g in placebo group, p=0.036). Length gain during the study period improved in zinc group (16.9 ± 8.2 cm vs. 15.1 ± 4.1 cm, p=0.039); after zinc supplementation head circumference were increased (8.7 ± 1.4 cm vs. 7.4 ± 1.5 cm p < 0.001). In male infants, total weight gain and height and head circumference gain were higher in the zinc than in the placebo group. However, only head circumference change was statistically significant. A similar trend was observed among female infants, but these differences were not statistically significant. There was no significant relation between breast-feeding status and the main outcome variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Infants in the present study showed improvements in growth rate, but more studies are required in this field to confirm this fact.
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Nayyereh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aminisani
authors.forename: Manuchehr
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barak
authors.forename: Seyed Morteza
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Shamshirgaran
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D002508:Cephalometry; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015430:Weight Gain; D015032:Zinc / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D015032:Zinc