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The Zinc Nutriture of Preschool Children Living in Two African Countries¹

Elaine L. Ferguson, Rosalind S. Gibson², Clara Opare-Obisaw^*, Stephanie Ounpuu, Lilian U. Thompson and Jacob Lehrfeld^**

Division of Applied Human Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada ^* Home Science Department, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Peoria, IL 61604

The zinc nutrition of rural Malawian children (24 females, 33 males; age 62 ± 10 mo) consuming cereal-based diets was compared with that of rural Ghanaian children (43 females, 33 males; age 59 ± 10 mo) consuming cereals or starchy staples, using hair zinc concentrations, growth and body composition indices, and dietary intakes. Intakes of energy, protein, Ca, Zn, dietary fiber and phytate at two seasons of the year were estimated from 3-d weighed food records, using analyzed and literature food composition values. The mean annual intakes of energy (5419 ± 1081 vs. 4698 ± 885 kJ), protein (31.8 ± 7.0 vs. 24.1 ± 6.8 g), Zn (7.4 ± 1.9 vs. 5.1 ± 1.1 mg) and phytate (1899 ± 590 vs. 604 ± 151 mg), and the mean molar ratios of [phytate]/[Zn] and [Ca] x [phytate]/[Zn] mmol per MJ (25 ± 4 vs. 12 ± 2 and 44 ± 13 vs 20 ± 8 mmol/MJ), were higher for Malawian than for Ghanaian children. More Malawian than Ghanaian children had [phytate]/[Zn] 15 (72% vs. 0%) and were severely stunted (57 vs. 28%). Ninety-four percent of children in Malawi and 83% in the Ghanaian village of Slepor had low hair Zn concentrations (< 1.68 µmol/g) compared with 39% in Gidantuba, Ghana. In Gidantuba, children with low hair Zn concentrations had low upper-arm-muscle-area-for-age and upper-arm-muscle-area-for-height Z-scores. The high intakes of phytic acid relative to zinc in Malawi suggest that these children were at greater risk for inadequate zinc nutriture than their Ghanaian counterparts.

KEY WORDS: • zinc • Ghanaian children • Malawian children • growth • body composition

¹ Supported by the Canadian International Development Agency, International Development Research Centre and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

² To whom correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed.

Manuscript received 1 December 1992. Revision accepted 17 May 1993.

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