The life threatening disease that claimed many lives during recent year is infantile diarrhea. The deficiency of zinc causes diarrhea and other infectious diseases such as malaria and pneumonia may increase the risk of death. But if zinc supplement is given during pregnancy then infantile diarrhea could be prevented to significant level. Previous studies have shown that zinc supplement given to young children have treated diarrhea problem.
Zinc supplement in combination with rehydration therapy is best remedy for treating acute form of diarrhea and it is recommended by The World Heath Organization. But very little is known about the period before the birth when zinc is probably the most effective in latter invulnerable functioning.
To check effectiveness of zinc supplement in preventing diarrhea researchers test zinc supplements over 214 pregnant women. These women took a daily supplement that contained 15 milligrams zinc; 60 milligrams iron and 250 micrograms folic acid while other 207 women took a same looking placebo supplement that contained only folic acid and iron.
They found that infants whose mothers took zinc during pregnancy had chances of sickness about five percent and infants whose mothers took placebo had chance of sickness about eight percent. Moreover mother of infants who took zinc supplement were thirty five percent less likely to had diarrhea episode. Some evidence also shown that, infants whose mothers took zinc supplement had reduced cases of skin disease scabies.