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Zinc status and cognitive function of pregnant women in Southern Ethiopia

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 63, pages 916–918 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The relation between zinc status and cognitive function was examined in a cross-sectional study in the Sidama area of Southern Ethiopia. Pregnant women >24 weeks of gestation from three adjacent rural villages volunteered to participate. Mean (s.d.) plasma zinc of 99 women was 6.97 (1.07) μmol/l (below the cutoff of 7.6 μmol/l indicative of zinc deficiency at this stage of gestation). The Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) test was administered individually. Scores for the Raven's scale A, which is the simplest scale, ranged from 4 to 10 of a possible 12. Women with plasma zinc <7.6 μmol/l had significantly lower Raven's CPM scale A scores than women with plasma zinc concentrations >7.6 μmol/l. Plasma zinc and maternal age and education predicted 17% of the variation in Raven's CPM scale A scores. We conclude that zinc deficiency is a major factor affecting cognition in these pregnant women.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge assistance of Sidama and Bushelo Health Center community workers. We thank Elsa and Mebrat, Carolyn Hambidge and study participants. Research support from Fogarty International Center (R21_TW006729) and Office of Dietary Supplements, NIH, and from GCRC M01 RR00069 and NIH MRDDR Center Grant (P30 HD004024) is also acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutritional Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

    B J Stoecker & T S Kennedy

  2. Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Hawassa University, Awassa, Ethiopia

    Y Abebe

  3. Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

    L Hubbs-Tait

  4. Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    R S Gibson

  5. Bushulo Health Centre, Awassa, Ethiopia

    I Arbide & A Teshome

  6. Department of Pediatrics, Section of Nutrition, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO, USA

    J Westcott, N F Krebs & K M Hambidge

Authors
  1. B J Stoecker
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  2. Y Abebe
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  3. L Hubbs-Tait
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  4. T S Kennedy
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  5. R S Gibson
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  6. I Arbide
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  7. A Teshome
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  8. J Westcott
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  9. N F Krebs
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  10. K M Hambidge
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Correspondence to B J Stoecker.

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Stoecker, B., Abebe, Y., Hubbs-Tait, L. et al. Zinc status and cognitive function of pregnant women in Southern Ethiopia. Eur J Clin Nutr 63, 916–918 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2008.77

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2008.77

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