Importance of Zinc in Obese Children Studied

by CP Staff

A recent clinical trial evaluated the role of zinc in several measurements of health in obese children. Obesity is associated with several metabolic changes such as lipid, blood sugar, blood pressure and oxidative stress abnormalities.

In this new randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, 60 obese children were supplemented with 20 mg of elemental zinc or placebo daily for 8 weeks. After the 8 weeks of supplementation, there was a 4-week period in which no supplementation was given, followed by another 8-week period in which the subjects who received zinc supplementation initially received the placebo and the subjects who had initially received the placebo were supplemented with zinc.

The children were evaluated for numerous parameters of health including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, insulin, the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP), malondialdehyde (a marker of oxidative stress) and leptin (a hormone associated with appetite and fat tissue). The children were also evaluated for blood lipids, including total cholesterol; low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol; apolipoprotein A-1, a component of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (“good” cholesterol); and apolipoprotein B, a component of LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol).

The results of the study indicated that the children receiving zinc had significant improvement in several measurements. Zinc supplementation resulted in healthy levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, oxidized LDL cholesterol, and improvements in the ratio of apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A-1. Zinc supplementation also reduced malondialdehyde and leptin levels. In addition, CRP and insulin were significantly decreased after zinc supplementation whereas CRP and insulin levels increased in the subjects after they received the placebo. Furthermore, mean weight and BMI were increased in the subjects after receiving the placebo and were decreased significantly after zinc supplementation.

The researchers concluded, “These results are particularly important in light of the deleterious consequences of childhood obesity and early changes in markers of inflammatory and oxidative stress. We suggest exploring the direct clinical application of zinc supplementation in childhood obesity in future studies.”

Reference:

Kelishadi R, Hashemipour M, Adeli K, Tavakoli N, Movahedian-Attar A, Shapouri J, Poursafa P, Rouzbahani A. Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Markers of Insulin Resistance, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation among Prepubescent Children with Metabolic Syndrome. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2010 Oct 28. Published Online Ahead of Print.