Summary
This review gives an overview of several studies on the impact of zinc supplementation on morbidity and mortality in children suffering from infectious diseases. In children older than 12 months, zinc supplementation reduced the incidence of diarrhea by 20%. Additionally, the relative risk of diarrhea was decreased by 27%. Zinc supplementation also reduced the incidence of acute lower respiratory tract infections by 15%. Overall, zinc supplementation led to a 6% reduction in childhood mortality and, more specifically, a decrease in deaths by 18% among children aged 12 months and older. The authors concluded that zinc supplementation is a side-effect-free treatment that could help decrease infectious diseases and related childhood mortality, especially in lower-income countries. More details can be found in the review article.
References
Brown et al.