Zinc supplementation increases growth velocity of male children and adolescents with short stature.

What Was Tested

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

The researchers assessed the effect of zinc supplementation on growth velocity in 79 children and adolescents (48 males, 38 females) with idiopathic short stature.

Their height-for-age was < 5th percentile (NCHS standards) and their weight-for-age was normal.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 79 children taking part.

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

Weight, height, armspan, length of lower segment and plasma and hair concentrations of Zn were measured at 0, 3, 6 and 12 months.

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.

Blinding on both sides kept the children and researchers unaware of who received Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc group a baseline to be compared against.

What Was Measured

The researchers assessed the effect of zinc supplementation on growth velocity in 79 children and adolescents (48 males, 38 females) with idiopathic short stature.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Anthropometry, Chile, Diet Surveys, Energy Intake, Growth Disorders, Sex Factors and Socioeconomic Factors.

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 79 children.

The publication is from 1994 (Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)), a journal based in Norway.

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