Zinc supplementation sustained normative neurodevelopment in a randomized, controlled trial of Peruvian infants aged 6-18 months.
A double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted to determine the effects of prevention of zinc deficiency on cognitive and sensorimotor development during infancy. At 6 mo of age, infants were randomly assigned to be administered a daily liquid supplement containing 10 mg/d of zinc (zinc sulfate), 10 mg/d of iron (ferrous sulfate), and 0.5 mg/d of copper (copper oxide), or an identical daily liquid supplement containing only 10 mg/d of iron and 0.5 mg/d of copper. Various controls were implemented to ensure adherence to the supplement protocol. A battery of developmental assessments was administered from 6 to 18 mo of age that included a visual habituation/recognition memory task augmented with heart rate at 6, 9, and 12 mo of age; the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 2nd edition (BSID2) at 6, 12, and 18 mo; the A-not-B error task at 9 and 12 mo; and free-play attention tasks at 12 and 18 mo. Only infants supplemented with zinc had the normative decline in look duration from 6 to 12 mo during habituation and a normative decline in shifting between objects on free-play multiple-object attention tasks from 12 to 18 mo of age. The 2 groups did not differ on any of the psychophysiologic indices, the BSID2, or the A-not-B error task. The findings are consistent with zinc supplementation supporting a profile of normative information processing and active attentional profiles during the first 2 y of life. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00589264.
Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS colombo@ku.edu.
John
J
Colombo
Nutritional Research Institute, Lima, Peru.
Nelly
N
Zavaleta
Department of Psychology, Loyola University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
Kathleen N
KN
Kannass
Nutritional Research Institute, Lima, Peru.
Fabiola
F
Lazarte
Nutritional Research Institute, Lima, Peru.
Carla
C
Albornoz
Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; and.
Leah L
LL
Kapa
Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
Laura E
LE
Caulfield
D000328:Adult; D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003300:Copper / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003677:Deficiency Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005296:Ferrous Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010568:Peru; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult; D015032:Zinc / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D005296:Ferrous Compounds; C020748:ferrous sulfate; D003300:Copper; D015032:Zinc; C000520:cuprous oxide