The Study
Efficacy of prophylactic intermittent zinc supplementation for reducing acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea in infants: A randomized controlled trial
This study gave some babies zinc drops and others nothing, then saw who got sick less. Because the babies were picked by chance, we can guess the zinc might have helped—but we don’t know for sure because the parents and doctors knew who got the zinc, so they might have reported sickness differently.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Babies who got zinc drops a few times during their first year got fewer colds and tummy bugs, and grew taller and heavier than babies who didn't.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 587 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — these gains are large for infants in low-resource settings where growth delays are common, and reducing infections can save lives.
- 2Zinc drops led to 72% fewer colds, 49% fewer tummy bugs, 1.4 cm more height gain, and 332 g more weight gain over six months.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics
Year
2025
Authors
Chandra Mohan Kumar, Arnab Ghorui, Karuna Hamsay
Related Content
Claims (10)
Intermittent zinc supplementation in zinc-deficient infants reduces the incidence of acute respiratory infections by 72% and acute diarrhoea by 49%, while simultaneously increasing mean weight gain by 332 g and length gain by 1.4 cm over six months.
Giving zinc supplements to infants at intervals reduces moderate-to-severe diarrhoea by 63% and acute respiratory infections by 72%, with greater effects in more severe cases, due to biological effects on immune function or mucosal tissue repair.
In infants aged 6 to 18 months in zinc-deficient populations, intermittent zinc supplementation given as 10 mg daily for two weeks at specific vaccination visits reduces the annual rate of acute respiratory infections by 72% and acute diarrhoea by 49%, and increases average weight gain by 332 grams and length gain by 1.4 cm over six months.
In zinc-deficient infants, taking zinc supplements at intervals for six months reduces the number of acute respiratory infections by 72% and acute diarrhoea by 49%, while also increasing weight by 332 grams and length by 1.4 centimeters.
Infants who receive intermittent zinc supplements along with their routine vaccines experience 4.54 fewer days of diarrhoea per year compared to infants who receive only vaccines.
Infants given intermittent zinc supplements show significantly greater increases in weight and length compared to those not receiving such supplements, with effect sizes larger than those seen in most other nutritional interventions.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.