Anorexia is one of the most common complaint of children who are referred to the pediatricians. Zinc has shown to be useful for improving appetite and food intake, through the ghrelin which is a peptide secreted in stomach. In a clinical study preschool children were randomly assigned to two groups of equal number receiving zinc (10 mg/day) or placebo (a substance that has no therapeutic effect) for 12 weeks. Overall, 77 children completed the trial.
The results showed that zinc supplement can improve calorie intake in children by affecting some Child Eating Behaviour Questionaire (CEBQ) subscales like Emotional over Eating and Food Responsible. It was concluded that Zinc can improve appetite in 2-6 years old children. Though zinc deficiency estimated is low frequency about 4% and zinc deficiency seems not to be the main problem in children, but positive impact of this micronutrient…
