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Zinc Nutrition During Early Life
Closed for proposals
Project Type
Project Code
E43018CRP
722Approved Date
Status
Start Date
Expected End Date
Completed Date
12 May 2011Description
The first year of life represents a time of rapid growth and development. Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, followed by the introduction of appropriate complementary foods and continued breastfeeding, as recommended by the World Health Organization, are cornerstones in infant nutrition. However, only limited information is available on the quantities of human milk consumed and the time of introduction of other foods into the infants' diet, in particular in developing countries. In addition, as the concentration of zinc in human milk decreases during early lactation, concern has been raised about the potential risk of sub-optimal zinc intake during early life. Infants born with low birth weight (less than 2.5 kg) are of special concern due to very rapid growth and therefore high requirements of zinc. The overall aim of the proposed CRP is to contribute to a better understanding of zinc nutrition during early life. Stable isotope techniques, i.e., techniques that do not involve exposure to radiation, will be used to monitor intake of human milk and zinc status in breastfed infants. In regions with high prevalence of low birth weight infants, for example in South Asia, this particularly vulnerable group will be given special attention.
The first year of life represents a time of rapid growth and development. Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, followed by the introduction of appropriate complementary foods and continued breastfeeding, as recommended by the World Health Organization, are cornerstones in infant nutrition. However, only limited information is available on the quantities of human milk consumed and the time of introduction of other foods into the infants' diet, in particular in developing countries. In addition, as the concentration of zinc in human milk decreases during early lactation, concern has been raised about the potential risk of sub-optimal zinc intake during early life. Infants born with low birth weight (less than 2.5 kg) are of special concern due to very rapid growth and therefore high requirements of zinc. The overall aim of the proposed CRP is to contribute to a better understanding of zinc nutrition during early life. Stable isotope techniques, i.e., techniques that do not involve exposure to radiation, will be used to monitor intake of human milk and zinc status in breastfed infants. In regions with high prevalence of low birth weight infants, for example in South Asia, this particularly vulnerable group will be given special attention.
Objectives
To contribute to a better understanding of zinc nutrition during early life.
Specific objectives
a. To evaluate human milk intake and the introduction of other fluids during the first year of life. In countries with high prevalence of small for gestational age (SGA) infants, SGA infants and infants appropriate for gestational age (AGA) will be studied in parallel
b. To evaluate changes in human milk zinc concentration (and zinc intake from human milk) during the first year of life.
c. To evaluate zinc status during early life, based on stable isotope techniques, in sub-groups of SGA and AGA infants.
Impact
- The CRP contributed to improved understanding of the quantity of zinc consumed by infants from human milk, and how this compares between infants born small versus adequate for gestational age.
- The CRP provided training to young scientists (2 PhD and one MSc student projects) in the application of stable isotope techniques to assess human milk intake, zinc absorption, and exchangeable body zinc pool size.
- The CRP facilitated international collaborations between investigators to apply nuclear techniques in nutrition research.
Relevance
The stable isotope techniques involved in this CRP reflect cutting-edge approaches to assessing human milk intake and human zinc absorption and metabolism. Zinc remains a prime nutrient of interest in fighting the hidden malnutrition that is characterized by inadequate intakes of micronutrients. Increasing the rates of exclusive breast feeding to 90% has the potential to prevent 1.3 million child deaths annually. Zinc supplementation has been shown to reduce mortality in infants born small for gestational age in India. Investigations such as those in this CRP contribute knowledge on the impact of breast feeding on zinc nutrition and child health.