| dc.description.abstract | The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of iron and zinc supplementation on anemic status and zinc status of children aged 6-24 months. The study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in which 173 children aged 6-24months were randomly assigned to receive 15mg Fe+15mg Zn daily 30mg Fe+30mg Zn weekly or placebo for 5months. As expected, no significant difference in the baseline hemoglobin and serum zinc concentration and nutrient intake between the three-supplementation groups. In the children aged 6-24 months, micronutrient deficiencies were prevalent. Almost 50% of the children were anemic, and 20% of them were zinc deficient. The anemic children hada 2.5-fold greater risk of zinc deficient than did the non-anemic children. This could indicate the existence of concurrent nutritional deficiencies. At the end of the 5 mo supplementation period, the daily and weekly Fe+Zn supplementation tend to increased hemoglobin concentrations, but there were no significant difference compared with the placebo. The daily and weekly Fe+Zn supplementation did not significant , affect serum zinc concentration compared with the placebo. | en |
