Teenagers may be able to beef up their mental skills with the help
of zinc. According to researchers, adding zinc to the diets of middle
schoolers resulted in memory and attention span improvements.
In the study, researchers analyzed over 200 seventh grade boys
and girls who drank 4 ounces of fruit juice every weekday for 10
weeks. Students received the juice with either: no added zinc, 10
milligrams of the supplement or 20 milligrams. Attention, perception,
memory and reasoning were assessed in each of the students through
a series of task tests.
The Results:
-
Students who received 20 milligrams of zinc answered questions
on a visual memory task test 12 percent more accurately and
quickly, compared to 6 percent for those in the non-zinc group.
-
In a word recognition task, students who received 20 milligrams
of the mineral increased the number of questions answered correctly
by 9 percent, compared to 3 percent by the non-zinc group.
- Students who received only 10 milligrams of zinc a day did not
show any performance improvements.
It is unknown exactly why zinc improved performance in the students;
however, researchers explain an insufficient supply of the mineral
can alter the function of the hippocampus, a part of the brain linked
to memory functioning. Also, older children may be at risk for zinc
deficiency, especially during their rapid growth spurt in puberty;
the stated daily requirement of zinc for teens ranges anywhere from
9-11 milligrams and 8 milligrams for kids ages 9-13.
A word of caution: Too much zinc for too
long can lead to severe health problems.
While zinc has been discovered to spike mental performance, help
regulate cell growth, help wounds heal and boost the immune system,
experts warn parents not to supplement their children with the mineral
until after consulting with a pediatrician or family doctor.
Forbes
April 4, 2005
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