Impact of Daily Preventive Zinc or Therapeutic Zinc Supplementation for Diarrhea on Plasma Biomarkers of Environmental Enteric Dysfunction among Rural Laotian Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of different forms of zinc supplementation on biomarkers of EED (i.e., plasma citrulline, kynurenine, and tryptophan concentrations and the kynurenine:tryptophan [KT] ratio) among young Laotian children.

Why It Was Studied

Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) may be ameliorated by zinc supplementation.

Plasma samples at baseline and endline for 359 children were analyzed for citrulline, kynurenine, and tryptophan concentrations.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 3,407 children taking part.

The age groups tagged for this paper are infants, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled.

The children were allocated by chance, so the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc group and the comparison group should start out alike.

As a double-blind Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

Some children received a placebo instead of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, giving a reference point.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Biomarkers, Diarrhea, Dietary Supplements, Laos, Rural Population and Zinc.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 3,407 children.

With several hundred people or more, it is a fairly large study for this kind of research.

The publication is from 2020 (The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.