Plasma zinc and copper in Paris area preschool children with growth impairment.

Plasma zinc, copper, and parameters of growth were measured in a group of 116 French preschool children, 2-5 yr-old from low-income households. Participants were selected on the basis of Z-scores of weight for height (WHZ) and height for age (HAZ). Zinc and copper concentrations of children with growth impairment (GI), defined by a WHZ and/or HAZ < -1 Z-score, were compared to those of age, sex, and ethnic origin matched controls (WHZ and HAZ > -1 Z-score).

Decreased serum levels of nutritional biochemical indices in healthy children with marginally delayed physical growth.

Biochemical markers of nutritional status (albumin, transthyretin, insulin-like growth factor-I and zinc) were measured in slowly growing two- to five-year-old, low-income Parisian children whose weight-for-height or height-for-age z scores (WHZ or HAZ) were between -1 and -2 SD of the NCHS median. The results were compared to controls who were matched for age, sex, and ethnic origin with WHZ and HAZ between -1 and +2 SD. Mean serum levels of transthyretin, albumin and insulin-like growth factor-I and mean plasma zinc concentrations were significantly lower in the growth-impaired children than in the controls (p = 0.

Selenium status of healthy immigrant Parisian preschool children.

Plasma selenium (Se) concentration and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx) were assessed in a population of healthy preschool children two to five years old, residing in the city of Paris. In the 118 subjects, mean (+/- SD) plasma Se concentration was 62.10 +/- 13.

Zinc supplements in breastfed infants.

Among breastfed infants, growth faltering in comparison with reference growth curves is common in both developing and developed countries. We performed a zinc supplementation trial in Paris, France, to find out whether such growth faltering is due to nutritional zinc deficiency. 57 breastfed infants aged 4-9 (mean 5.