Effect of zinc supplementation and high-protein rice on the growth of preschool children on a rice-based diet

Abstract

A six-month feeding trial was undertaken in a children's home in Manila on three groups of 27 preschool Filipino children, each on a diet in which rice contributed about 50% of the energy. Total zinc intake of 4–6 mg daily was obtained from analyses of food composites of the institutional diet. Supplementation of this diet with 5 mg zinc and substitution of high-protein (10.4%) rice for average-protein rice (∼~7.4%) together resulted in significantly faster height and weight increases in the experimental group than in the control group. Zinc supplementation alone, however, did not improve the growth of the children.