Zinc in Adolescent Growth: Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Growth,zinc and Iron Status

Zinc is known to play a vital role in growth and development. Zinc deficiency is probably wide spread in developing countries,although its prevalence rates in different age groups is lacking because of lack of simple status indicators. WHO identified zinc as the main nutritional problem affecting adolescent populations world wide and it was also recognized as one of the leading global risk factor and contribution to global burden of disease. Adolescence is a crucial phase of growth since it offers the second and last chance for the catch-up growth in the life. Nutrition of women in India, thus has been sadly neglected pertains to the adolescent girls. The adolescent girl, the young woman the mother to be represents an aged group which experience a crucial phase of growth. In India, millions of girl children are compelled to engage in child bearing and rearing even before they have had a chance to complete their physical growth. The research work focused on nutritional status of adolescent girls particularly zinc and iron, which gives a view of micro nutrient status of adolescent girls (10-16 years) and effect of zinc supplementation on different parameters of adolescent girls.