BMJ  2007;334:104-105 (20 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39094.513924.BE

Editorials

Iron and zinc deficiency in children in developing countries

Fortification is beneficial, but the best strategy for delivery is unclear

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

In this week's BMJ Sazawal and colleagues report a trial of milk fortified with multiple micronutrients (as a strategy to deliver zinc and iron) in children in India.1 They found a significant reduction in severe illness and the incidence of acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea. Although data on the impact of the intervention on iron and zinc status are not presented, the functional benefits are consistent with the previously recognised benefits of zinc supplementation on the burden and severity of diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections.2

Iron deficiency ranked ninth among 26 risk factors included in the global burden of disease study, and accounted for 841 000 deaths and 35 057 000 disability adjusted life years lost.3 Large sections of populations in Africa and Asia are at risk of dietary zinc deficiency and resulting high rates of stunting.4 Correcting micronutrient deficiencies can help reduce child mortality,5 but it is unclear how . . . [Full text of this article]

Zulfiqar A Bhutta, Husein Lalji Dewraj professor and chairman (zulfiqar.bhutta@aku.edu)

1 Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, Pakistan


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Effects of fortified milk on morbidity in young children in north India: community based, randomised, double masked placebo controlled trial
Sunil Sazawal, Usha Dhingra, Pratibha Dhingra, Girish Hiremath, Jitendra Kumar, Archana Sarkar, Venugopal P Menon, and Robert E Black
BMJ 2007 334: 140. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Jafar, T H, Qadri, Z, Islam, M, Hatcher, J, Bhutta, Z A, Chaturvedi, N (2008). Rise in childhood obesity with persistently high rates of undernutrition among urban school-aged Indo-Asian children. Arch. Dis. Child. 93: 373-378 [Abstract] [Full text]  
Access jobs at BMJ Careers
Whats new online at Student BMJ