Zinc Helps Kids Think
More zinc may help your child learn faster, says James G. Penland, a researcher at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center.
In a new study, he gave 209 seventh-graders a morning glass of fruit juice– either plain or fortified with 10 or 20 milligrams of zinc. Kids who drank the 20 mg zinc juice daily for three months did best on a battery of computer tests of mental and motor skills. Compared with students who had plain juice, the 20 mg zinc drinkers improved twice as much on a visual memory test and three times as much on word recognition.
The bottom line: The optimal learning dose in this study was 20 mg, more than previously thought to be needed.
Scientific sources for this item
Folic acid and cognitive decline
Jane Durga, presented at an Alzheimer’s prevention conference in D.C. June 21, 2005
This EatSmart column is reprinted from USAWEEKEND Magazine and is copyrighted by Jean Carper. It cannot be reprinted without permission from Jean Carper.
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