Zinc supplementation for mental and motor development in children

Abstract Background Effects of zinc with and without iron co-supplementation on child development are uncertain therefore the aims of this systematic review were to explore whether supplementation with zinc alone and zinc with iron in children aged 0–5 years old have beneficial or adverse effects on their mental and motor development. Method We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, Web of Science and Scopus until July 2020 and included randomized controlled trials, which assessed effects of zinc supplementation with and without iron in children less than 5 years old on mental and motor development. Data were pooled by random effects model and the Standardized Mean Differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence interval were estimated. The heterogeneity was assessed by I2. Results Twenty-five studies with 11,559 participants were eligible to be included in this systematic review. Meta-analysis was conducted with eight articles that used Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development II. We concluded that zinc alone and zinc with iron co-supplementation do not have beneficial or adverse effect on child mental and motor development at 6 and 12 months of age with low to moderate quality of the evidence. Furthermore, Zinc supplementation does not have any long term effect on child development in preschool and school age children. Conclusion Most included studies did not show the efficacy of zinc with and without iron co-supplementation on child mental and motor development up to 9 years old age. Further Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) need to be taken into considerations the context-based differences between countries with special focus on socio-economic differences.

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Zinc supplementation for mental and motor development in children

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews ◽

10.1002/14651858.cd007991.pub2 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Siddhartha Gogia ◽

Harshpal S Sachdev

Keyword(s):

Motor Development ◽

Zinc Supplementation

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Zinc and cognitive development

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1079/bjn2000306 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 85 (S2) ◽

pp. S139-S145 ◽

Cited By ~ 124

Author(s):

Shinjini Bhatnagar ◽

Sunita Taneja

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Development ◽

Zinc Deficiency ◽

Motor Development ◽

Zinc Supplementation ◽

Emotional Behavior ◽

Critical Periods ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Low Birth Weight Infants ◽

Pregnancy And Lactation ◽

Neuropsychological Functions

Cognition is a field of thought processes by which an individual processes information through skills of perception, thinking, memory, learning and attention. Zinc deficiency may affect cognitive development by alterations in attention, activity, neuropsychological behavior and motor development. The exact mechanisms are not clear but it appears that zinc is essential for neurogenesis, neuronal migration, synaptogenesis and its deficiency could interfere with neurotransmission and subsequent neuropsychological behavior. Studies in animals show that zinc deficiency during the time of rapid brain growth, or during the juvenile and adolescent period affects cognitive development by decreasing activity, increasing emotional behavior, impairing memory and the capacity to learn. Evidence from human studies is limited. Low maternal intakes of zinc during pregnancy and lactation were found to be associated with less focused attention in neonates and decreased motor functions at 6 months of age. Zinc supplementation resulted in better motor development and more playfulness in low birth weight infants and increased vigorous and functional activity in infants and toddlers. In older school going children the data is controversial but there is some evidence of improved neuropsychological functions with zinc supplementation. Additional research is required to determine the exact biological mechanisms, the critical periods, the threshold of severity and the long-term effects of zinc deprivation on cognitive development.

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Physiologic Studies Provide New Perspectives on Early Speech Development

Perspectives on Speech Science and Orofacial Disorders ◽

10.1044/ssod20.2.29 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 29-36

Author(s):

Erin M. Wilson ◽

Ignatius S. B. Nip

Keyword(s):

Motor Control ◽

Motor Development ◽

Motion Tracking ◽

Speech Development ◽

Speech Motor Control ◽

Therapeutic Approaches ◽

Facial Motion ◽

Disordered Speech ◽

Speech Motor ◽

Physiologic Data

Abstract Although certain speech development milestones are readily observable, the developmental course of speech motor control is largely unknown. However, recent advances in facial motion tracking systems have been used to investigate articulator movements in children and the findings from these studies are being used to further our understanding of the physiologic basis of typical and disordered speech development. Physiologic work has revealed that the emergence of speech is highly dependent on the lack of flexibility in the early oromotor system. It also has been determined that the progression of speech motor development is non-linear, a finding that has motivated researchers to investigate how variables such as oromotor control, cognition, and linguistic factors affect speech development in the form of catalysts and constraints. Physiologic data are also being used to determine if non-speech oromotor behaviors play a role in the development of speech. This improved understanding of the physiology underlying speech, as well as the factors influencing its progression, helps inform our understanding of speech motor control in children with disordered speech and provide a framework for theory-driven therapeutic approaches to treatment.

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