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  • Title: The zinc nutriture of preschool children living in two African countries.
    Author: Ferguson EL, Gibson RS, Opare-Obisaw C, Ounpuu S, Thompson LU, Lehrfeld J.
    Journal: J Nutr; 1993 Sep; 123(9):1487-96. PubMed ID: 8395593.
    Abstract:
    The zinc nutrition of rural Malawian children (24 females, 33 males; age 62 +/- 10 mo) consuming cereal-based diets was compared with that of rural Ghanaian children (43 females, 33 males; age 59 +/- 10 mo) consuming cereals or starchy staples, using hair zinc concentrations, growth and body composition indices, and dietary intakes. Intakes of energy, protein, Ca, Zn, dietary fiber and phytate at two seasons of the year were estimated from 3-d weighed food records, using analyzed and literature food composition values. The mean annual intakes of energy (5419 +/- 1081 vs. 4698 +/- 885 kJ), protein (31.8 +/- 7.0 vs. 24.1 +/- 6.8 g), Zn (7.4 +/- 1.9 vs. 5.1 +/- 1.1 mg) and phytate (1899 +/- 590 vs. 604 +/- 151 mg), and the mean molar ratios of [phytate]/[Zn] and [Ca] x [phytate]/[Zn] mmol per MJ (25 +/- 4 vs. 12 +/- 2 and 44 +/- 13 vs 20 +/- 8 mmol/MJ), were higher for Malawian than for Ghanaian children. More Malawian than Ghanaian children had [phytate]/[Zn] > or = 15 (72% vs. 0%) and were severely stunted (57 vs. 28%). Ninety-four percent of children in Malawi and 83% in the Ghanaian village of Slepor had low hair Zn concentrations (< 1.68 mumol/g) compared with 39% in Gidantuba, Ghana. In Gidantuba, children with low hair Zn concentrations had low upper-arm-muscle-area-for-age and upper-arm-muscle-area-for-height Z-scores. The high intakes of phytic acid relative to zinc in Malawi suggest that these children were at greater risk for inadequate zinc nutriture than their Ghanaian counterparts. A study of 57 children aged 44-78 months living in Chilunga village in Zomba District, Malawi, and of 76 children aged 42-80 months living in the villages of Slepor and Gidantuba in Greater Accra in Ghana aimed to determine intakes of zinc and other dietary components influencing zinc bioavailability. Children from Malawi had higher mean annual intakes of energy (5419 kJ vs. 4698 kJ; p .05), and phytate (1899 mg vs. 604 mg; p .05) and higher mean molar rations of [phytate]/[zinc] and [calcium] x [phytate]/[zinc] mmol per megajoule (25 mmol/MJ vs. 12 mmol/MJ and 44 mmol/MJ vs. 20 mmol/MJ, respectively; p .05) than the children from Ghana. A higher proportion of children from Malawi had a molar ratio of [phytate]/[zinc] of at least 15 (72% vs. 0; p .05). Malawian children were more likely to be severely stunted than the Ghanaian children (57% vs. 28%; p .05). The median hair zinc concentration of children living in Gidantuba was significantly higher than that of children living in Slepor and in Malawi (1.99 mcmol/g vs. 1.42 mcmol/g, respectively; p .05). Further, a higher percentage of children in Slepor and Malawi had lower hair zinc concentrations than those in Gidantuba (83% and 94%, respectively vs. 39%; p .05). The children in GIdantuba with low hair zinc concentrations exhibited low upper-arm-muscle-area-for-age (-0.71) and upper-arm-muscle-are-for-height Z scores (-0.10). The diets in Malawi were cereal-based while those in Ghana consisted of starch staples with relatively low nutrient and phytate densities and fermented cereals with relatively low densities of phytate relative to zinc. The high intakes of phytic acid relative to zinc in Malawian children indicated that they faced a greater risk for insufficient zinc nutrition status than Ghanaian children. The researchers called for a study to determine whether zinc supplementation would improve zinc nutrition status in children in Ghana and Malawi
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