Zinc and Human Health Results of Recent Trials and Implications for Program Interventions and Research edited by Kenneth H. Brown and Sara E. Wuehler MI 2000, ISBN 1-894217-13-6 60 pp., paper, 6¾" x 9¾"  Résumé français à venir

Zinc deficiency is now recognized as a common public health problem: nearly half of the world’s population is at risk of inadequate zinc intake. Addressing and controlling zinc deficiencies is proving difficult, however, because of uncertainty regarding the extent of deficiency in the most vulnerable populations and because of our limited experience with programmatic interventions.

This publication provides baseline information on the nutritional importance of zinc. It summarizes the results of previous zinc-intervention trials and draws upon these results to provide lessons for future program interventions. The publication also identifies critical gaps in current knowledge, gaps that would impede the implementation of program interventions and that must be addressed through research.

Zinc and Human Health is the first publication to provide guidelines for the development of intervention programs to control the serious problem of zinc deficiency in high-risk populations. It will be a useful and important reference for nutritional scientists, the academic community, research-funding agencies, and policy- and decision-makers in the nutrition sector.
 

The Editors

Kenneth H. Brown, MD, is Director of the Program in International Nutrition and Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of International Health at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Dr Brown was previously Director of Research at the Instituto de Investigación Nutricional in Lima, Peru, and Director of the Division of Human Nutrition in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins University. From 1992 to 1994, Dr Brown was President of the Society for International Nutrition Research. Amongst his numerous appointments, Dr Brown currently sits on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition and chairs the Steering Committee of the International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group. Dr Brown is a past recipient of the Kellogg International Nutrition Research Prize (presented by the Society for International Nutrition Research) and the E.V. McCollum Award (presented by the American Society for Clinical Nutrition).

Sara E. Wuehler is a registered dietician and doctoral student in the Program in International Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. From 1991 to 1994, she worked as a volunteer for the United States Peace Corps in Gabon. From 1993 to 1997, Ms Wuehler was Dietician and Clinical Director of Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in Provo, Utah.
 

Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Executive Summary
1. Zinc in the Environment and in Biology
2. Zinc Metabolism
3. Zinc and Human Function
4. Dietary Sources and Bioavailability of Zinc
5. Zinc Requirements
6. Assessment of Zinc Status
7. Zinc Toxicity
8. Estimates of the Global Prevalence of Zinc Deficiency
9. Zinc in the Global Food Supply
10. Programmatic Approaches to Controlling Zinc Deficiency
11. Conclusions of Background Review
12. Discussion Groups
13. Research Needs
Appendix 1. List of Conference Participants and Support Personnel
Appendix 2. Meeting Program
References