Zinc may be good for teenagers' brains

According to a paper presented yesterday at a meeting of the American Society of Nutritional Sciences, 209 seventh graders were randomly assigned to one of three groups.

The first group received 4 ounces of fruit juice a day containing 20 milligrams of zinc, the second drank the same juice with 10 milligrams of zinc, and the third drank the juice alone with no zinc added.

At the beginning and end of the 12-week study, students were examined with a series of tests of attention, memory, problem solving and hand-eye coordination. "As far as I know," Dr. Penland said, "this is the first study of its kind undertaken with teenagers."

Students who had taken 20 milligrams of zinc increased their scores significantly on visual memory, word recognition, and attention and vigilance tasks compared with the plain-juice drinkers.

Dr. Penland said that if further studies confirmed those results, it might follow that the current recommended dietary allowance for zinc of 10 milligrams should be increased for adolescents.

Although supplements of zinc are not particularly toxic, very large doses can cause diarrhea and vomiting, and Dr. Penland does not recommend usage in excess of the recommended daily allowance. He suggests lean red meat, fish and some grains as good sources of zinc.

Courtesy of the New York Times 4/5/2005