More Zinc Food Didn't Make Toddlers' Zinc Levels Go Up
Red meat and a fortified manufactured toddler milk drink increase dietary zinc intakes without affecting zinc status of New Zealand toddlers.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
38% of toddlers had low serum zinc despite <4% having dietary intake below the Estimated Average Requirement.
Common belief is that low zinc = not eating enough — but here, kids ate enough and still tested deficient, contradicting the assumption that dietary intake directly reflects biochemical status.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t assume giving toddlers more meat or fortified milk will fix low zinc levels — consider consulting a pediatrician about absorption issues or alternative testing.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
38% of toddlers had low serum zinc despite <4% having dietary intake below the Estimated Average Requirement.
Common belief is that low zinc = not eating enough — but here, kids ate enough and still tested deficient, contradicting the assumption that dietary intake directly reflects biochemical status.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t assume giving toddlers more meat or fortified milk will fix low zinc levels — consider consulting a pediatrician about absorption issues or alternative testing.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of nutrition
Year
2010
Authors
Emily J. Morgan, A. Heath, E. Szymlek-Gay, R. Gibson, A. Gray, K. Bailey, E. Ferguson
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Claims (3)
Giving toddlers in New Zealand more zinc through meat or special milk doesn’t seem to raise the zinc levels in their blood or hair, so just eating more zinc might not fix low zinc levels in their bodies.
Even when toddlers eat enough zinc-rich foods, their blood tests might still show low zinc — which means the usual way doctors check for zinc deficiency might not be working right.
Even though these little kids in New Zealand are eating enough zinc-rich food, almost 4 out of 10 of them still have low zinc levels in their blood — which means what they eat might not be turning into enough zinc in their bodies.