The impact of zinc supplementation on Schistosoma mansoni reinfection rate and intensities: a randomized, controlled trial among rural Zimbabwean schoolchildren.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in this randomized controlled trial publication.

To assess the effect of zinc supplementation on susceptibility to S. mansoni reinfections among schoolchildren.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 144 boys were involved.

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

313 rural Zimbabwean schoolchildren (144 boys and 169 girls), 11-17 y).

How the Study Was Run

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

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

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

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

Due to drought, a food programme was in operation during the last eight months of the study.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Disease Susceptibility, Patient Compliance, Recurrence, Schistosomiasis mansoni, Zimbabwe 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 144 boys.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 6 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 1997 (European journal of clinical nutrition), a journal based in England.

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