Chapter 5

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SummaryResearch conducted during the past 10 15 years suggests that zinc defi-ciency is widespread and affects the health and well-being of populationsworldwide. The objective of this Chapter is to quantify the regional andglobal magnitude, distribution and disease burden implications of conducted a systematic literature search to identify relevant studiesinvestigating the role of zinc in human health. This search indicated thatevidence on the burden of disease related to zinc deficiency would belimited to the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conductedamong paediatric populations in developing countries, and wouldprovide information on whether zinc deficiency affects the incidence ofdiarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria illness among children aged 0 4years. There are no global estimates of zinc deficiency in paediatric orother populations; however, the International Zinc Nutrition Consulta-tive Group (IZiNCG) has developed a method for estimating the preva-lence of inadequate zinc intakes based on the presence and bioavailabilityof zinc in each country s food systematic review of relevant epidemiological research involvedmeta-analysis from 11 intervention trials.

intakes lower than the minimal normative zinc intake, and of 15 surveys conducted in populations with low zinc bioavailability, none reported mean intakes greater than the minimal normative zinc intake.

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