Zinc Supplements Improve Mental Performance
April 8, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A little extra zinc in the diets of school children could be the answer to every teacher's prayers. A new study finds students pay more attention and behave better when they are given more zinc.
Researchers gave seventh graders 20 milligrams of zinc, five days a week for 10 to 12 weeks. Testing revealed improvement in mental performance over children who received no additional zinc.
Previous studies have shown zinc is an important part of motor, cognitive and psychosocial function in very young children and adults. This is the first study to look at the effects of zinc supplementation in adolescents.
Researchers studied 209 seventh graders. They gave each child a juice drink containing 0, 10, or 20 milligrams of zinc gluconate. Students, teachers, and parents were unaware of who was being given which dose of zinc supplementation.
The current Recommended Daily Allowances for zinc is 10 milligrams a day. Study author James G. Penland, Ph.D., says a deficiency of the mineral is not uncommon in the United States, especially in adolescents, because of their rapid growth and typically poor eating habits.
The group receiving just 10 milligrams showed no improvement on tests gauging reaction time, memory, reading abilities, and the ability to sustain attention. The group receiving 20 milligrams not only did better on the tests, they were also reprimanded for fewer behavior problems.
If further testing confirms these findings, Penland says he hopes the current dietary guidelines would be updated to reflect the positive benefits of zinc.
SOURCE: Experimental Biology 2005 as part of the scientific sessions of the American Society of Nutritional Sciences in San Diego, March 31-April 6, 2005
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