ArticlePediatric research2021
Role of zinc in neonatal growth and brain growth: review and scoping review.
Article in Pediatric research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to trial NCT06433674 (Enteral Zinc Supplementation in Very Low Birth Weight Infants), which is not on this map. Cited by 40 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Enteral Zinc Supplementation in Very Low Birth Weight Infants
Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 92 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of maternal micronutrient supplementation on pregnancy outcomes in developing countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of enteral zinc supplementation on growth and neurodevelopment of preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2022Pooled it
- Infant body composition in a randomised trial of a maternal nutritional supplement during preconception and pregnancy.World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2025Trial
- Anthropometric and sociodemographic variables, but not preconception or prenatal maternal nutrition supplementation, predict neurodevelopment in offspring of the 'Women First' trial.Maternal & child nutrition · 2024Trial
- Serum Magnesium and Zinc Levels in Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia Compared to Healthy Controls: Case-Control Study.Biological trace element research · 2026Article
- Maternal Nutrition During Pregnancy and Fetal Outcome, Short- and Long-Term Health Effects: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Maternal copper levels moderate the neuroprotective effect of zinc on early childhood development: evidence from a birth cohort and proteomic profiling.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Maternal Micronutrient Status During Pregnancy and Its Neurodevelopmental Implications for Infants in South Asia: Protocol for a Scoping Review.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Mitochondrial iron transport via MFRN1 is required for erythroid cell cycle progression.Blood advances · 2025Article
- Unraveling the impact of prenatal air pollution for neonatal brain maturation.Environment international · 2025Article
- Improved linear growth after routine zinc supplementation in preterm very low birth weight infants.Pediatric research · 2025Article
- Reference Values for Minerals in Human Milk: the Mothers, Infants and Lactation Quality (MILQ) Study.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2025Article
- Selenium, zinc, and copper intake and status of vegetarian, vegan, and omnivore children and adolescents: results of the VeChi youth study.European journal of nutrition · 2025Article
- Properties of the major ZnChemical communications (Cambridge, England) · 2025Article
- Article
- Tracing Zinc's Role in Preterm Infants' Health: A Narrative Review.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2024Review
- Impact of Nutritional Minerals Biomarkers on Cognitive Performance Among Bangladeshi Rural Adolescents-A Pilot Study.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Current understanding of essential trace elements in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine · 2024Review
- Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This manuscript includes (1) a narrative review of Zinc as an essential nutrient for fetal and neonatal growth and brain growth and development and (2) a scoping review of studies assessing the effects of Zinc supplementation on survival, growth, brain growth, and neurodevelopment in neonates. Very preterm infants and small for gestational age infants are at risk for Zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency can cause several complications including periorificial lesions, delayed wound healing, hair loss, diarrhea, immune deficiency, growth failure with stunting, and brain atrophy and dysfunction. Zinc is considered essential for oligodendrogenesis, neurogenesis, neuronal differentiation, white matter growth, and multiple biological and physiological roles in neurobiology. Data support the possibility that the critical period of Zinc delivery for brain growth in the mouse starts at 18 days of a 20-21-day pregnancy and extends during lactation and in human may start at 26 weeks of gestation and extend until at least 44 weeks of postmenstrual age. Studies are needed to better elucidate Zinc requirement in extremely low gestational age neonates to minimize morbidity, optimize growth, and brain growth, prevent periventricular leukomalacia and optimize neurodevelopment. IMPACT: Zinc is essential for growth and brain growth and development. In the USA, very preterm small for gestational age infants are at risk for Zinc deficiency. Data support the possibility that the critical period of Zinc delivery for brain growth in the mouse starts at 18 days of a 20-21-day pregnancy and extends during lactation and in human may start at 26 weeks' gestation and extend until at least 44 weeks of postmenstrual age. Several randomized trials of Zinc supplementation in neonates have shown improvement in growth when using high enough dose, for long duration in patients likely to or proven to have a Zinc deficiency. Studies are needed to better elucidate Zinc requirement in extremely low gestational age neonates to minimize morbidity, optimize growth and brain growth, prevent periventricular leukomalacia and optimize neurodevelopment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.