Serum Zinc Level and Eating Behaviors in Children Receiving Zinc Supplements without Physician Prescription

Background: The aim of the study was to compare the serum zinc level and eating behaviors in 2-8-year-old children with and without arbitrarily zinc supplementation. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted from December 2015 to December 2017 in Isfahan, Iran. The case group consisted of seventy children, aged 2-8 years, who have received zinc supplement without physician prescription; the controls were an equal number of age-matched children who did not receive any supplement. The serum zinc level was measured, and eating behaviors were identified using Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ). Results: There was no significant difference in serum zinc level between two groups (P = 0.18). Some differences in CEBQ subscales were identified between the groups studied. In the control group, the subscale of enjoyment of food was higher than the case group (P < 0.001). In the case group, the subscales of food fussiness and satiety responsiveness were higher than controls (P < 0.001). Conclusion: In this study, serum zinc levels were not significantly different between the two groups, and arbitrarily zinc supplementation does not play an important role in improving anorexia subscales.