Effect of Zinc deficiency on Growth and Morbidity in infants

Micro nutrients deficiency is a major problem in women of reproductive age and one of the most important micro nutrient deficiencies in many developing countries is Zinc deficiency. It is estimated that 82% of all pregnant women in the world have Zinc deficiency. Zinc is an important micro nutrient in fetal growth and development. The role of Zinc in pregnancy outcomes has been studied in past few decades and it was observed that serum level of zinc during and prior to pregnancy is crucial for health of mother, growth and development of fetus and optimal pregnancy outcomes. Low serum zinc status of mother is associated with growth retardation, poor congenital development, low birth weight, spontaneous abortion, abnormalities in gene replication, protein and DNA synthesis and also in translation and transcription of DNA. So it has many important roles in gestational and fetal life. The objective of this paper is to review the relationship of maternal serum zinc status and their newborns growth and development and to evaluate the public health importance of maternal zinc status since it is related to the fetal growth and development, health of mother and infants and complications of pregnancy, labor and delivery.