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Longitudinal measures of circulating leptin and ghrelin concentrations are associated with the growth of young Peruvian children but are not affected by zinc supplementation.
BackgroundLeptin, ghrelin, and insulin are hormonal regulators of energy balance and, therefore, may be related to growth during infancy. Zinc is essential for growth, and its growth effects may be mediated through these hormones.ObjectiveWe examined the effects of supplemental zinc on plasma leptin, ghrelin, and insulin concentrations among young children at risk of zinc deficiency and examined the relations between these hormones and physical growth.DesignChildren (n = 142) aged 6-8 mo were randomly assigned to receive 3 mg Zn/d as a supplement, in a fortified food, or as a placebo for 6 mo. Relations between hormones and anthropometric z scores, body composition, and growth rates were examined at baseline and 3 and 6 mo after the start of the intervention.ResultsNo treatment group-related differences were found in plasma leptin, ghrelin, or glucose concentrations or in anthropometric z scores at 3 or 6 mo after the start of the zinc intervention. Neither plasma leptin nor ghrelin concentrations at baseline or 3 mo were predictive of subsequent changes in growth. However, changes in weight-for-age z scores over the two 3-mo time intervals were positively associated with subsequent leptin concentrations and inversely associated with subsequent plasma ghrelin concentrations.ConclusionsSupplemental zinc did not affect the children's growth, anthropometric indexes, or plasma hormone concentrations in this study population. Our results suggest that plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations in later infancy are a consequence of previous weight changes rather than predictors of short-term growth
Zinc homeostasis and gut function in children with celiac disease
BackgroundCeliac disease (CD) is an immunologic enteropathy triggered by the intake of gluten. It is thought that the enteropathy impairs gut function and absorption.ObjectiveWe assessed the zinc-absorption capacity and small-bowel integrity in children with CD.DesignChildren in whom a diagnosis of CD was considered clinically and either confirmed (n = 16; Marsh score ≥3) or not (n = 22; Marsh score of 0) with a small-bowel biopsy (SBB) were recruited. The fractional absorption of zinc (FAZ) was determined by the administration of an oral (67)Zn dose (2.5 mg) and an intravenous (70)Zn dose (0.2 mg) 2 h before and during the SBB, respectively. Spot urine samples were collected, and zinc isotopic ratios were determined by ion-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Gut health was assessed by the ingestion of (13)C-sucrose (20 g) after an overnight fast, and breath samples were collected and analyzed by isotope ratio mass spectrometry.ResultsThere was no difference in FAZ between children with a Marsh score ≥3 (mean ± SEM: 0.68 ± 0.05) and children with a Marsh score of 0 (0.74 ± 0.05). The exchangeable zinc pool (EZP) was significantly (P ConclusionsZinc absorption did not appear below usual amounts in subjects with CD. Children with CD have impaired gut function that may affect their zinc nutritional status as shown by a smaller EZP. However, the EZP decrease in children with CD was not compared with that in healthy control subjects, and its biological meaning is uncertain.Cuong D Tran, Rosa Katsikeros, Nick Manton, Nancy F Krebs, K Michael Hambidge, Ross N Butler, and Geoff P Davidso