EFFECTS OF ZAMIC AS A MEANS FOR ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION IN GROWING CHILDREN

We investigated the effects of zinc supplementation in cases of modera te growth retardation in which GH treatment could not be used. Zamic ( ZA, an association containing arginine, L-methionine, and zinc; from A guettant pharmaceuticals) was compared with arginine aspartate (AA) (5 g) in a crossover randomized trial (6 mo of each treatment at random order over 1 yr). We present preliminary results of 24 children who co mpleted the study (3 girls, 21 boys, age 9-13 yr). Subjects had to be prepubertal, with no GH deficiency diagnosed. In 15 subjects growth ve locity was lower than 5 mm/mo: in this case ZA improved growth velocit y (rising from 3.105 +/- 0.229 to 5.4 +/- 0.69 mm/mo p < 0.01), wherea s the effect of AA was not significant. The increase in growth velocit y was higher with ZA (+2.44 +/- 0.657 mm/mo) than AA (+0.438 +/- 0.450 mm/mo) p < 0.05. These results suggest that ZA is more efficient than AA, consistent with the hypothesis that zinc needs are increased in t hose children in this period of life.