Zinc fortification with multiple micronutrients increases child weight and decreases diarrhea and fever

Objectives:
Seventeen per cent of the world's population is estimated to be at risk of inadequate zinc intake, which could in part be addressed by zinc fortification of widely consumed foods. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does zinc fortification (postharvest fortification of an industrially produced food or beverage) alone or with multiple micronutrients (MMN) have positive effects on health outcomes?

Study design:
This review article included 54 observational studies with 73 comparisons.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found zinc fortification with and without multiple micronutrients significantly increased plasma zinc concentrations [efficacy: 4.68 μg/dL, 95% CI = 2.62 to 6.75, n = 27 and effectiveness: 6.28 μg/dL, 95% CI = 5.03 to 7.77 μg/dL, n = 13].

The investigators found zinc fortification with and without multiple micronutrients significantly reduced the prevalence of zinc deficiency [efficacy: OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.60 to 0.96, n = 11 and effectiveness: OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.31 to 0.64, n = 10]. 

The investigators found there were statistically significant increases in child weight [efficacy: 0.43 kg, 95% CI = 0.11 to 0.75 kg, n = 11], improvements in short-term auditory memory [efficacy = 0.32 point, 95% CI = 0.13 to 0.50 point, n = 3] and decreased incidence of diarrhea [efficacy: RR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.68 to 0.92, n = 3] and fever [efficacy: RR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.74 to 0.97, n = 2].
However, these effects cannot be solely attributed to zinc.

The investigators concluded that zinc fortification with multiple micronutrients increases child weight, improves short-term auditory memory and decreases incidence of diarrhea and fever.

Original title:
Effects of Foods Fortified with Zinc, Alone or Cofortified with Multiple Micronutrients, on Health and Functional Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Tsang BL, Holsted E, […], Manger MS.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34167148/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on RCTs/cohort/significantly/review article, zinc and food fortification/malnutrition right here.