Zinc and perinatal growth

Aim: To study the relationship between zinc, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I), osteocalcin and perinatal growth. Materials and methods: Anthropometric variables, serum levels of IGF-I, osteocalcin and zinc were measured in preterm (PT) appropriate for gestational age (AGA), full term (FT) small for gestational age (SGA) and FT AGA newborns at birth (n = 52), at first week (n = 38) and at third week (n 38) of postnatal age. Results: At birth, the FT SGA had lower levels of IGF-I. At the first week after birth, both FT SGA and PT AGA infants had less deposits of subcutaneous fat; FT SGA infants also showed significantly lower osteocalcin and zinc levels. At 3 weeks of postnatal life, FT SGA infants continued to show significantly lower zinc levels. They had increased their fat deposits so that differences between groups in skinfold measurements failed to be significant. The highest levels of osteocalcin were found in PT AGA infants at the third week after birth. Conclusions: Perinatal nutrition influences the IGF-I levels. The low concentration of osteocalcin found in SGA infants at first week of life probably reflects decreased bone turnover. During the first weeks of life, there is a progressive decrease in the serum levels of zinc, accentuated in the FT SGA group. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.