Fortified Milk Boosts Immune Sytem
In developing countries, one of the most prevalent diseases particularly in children is diarrhea and acute respiratory illness. One of the most pressing problem contributing to this is the prevalent malnutrition.
According to the researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Center for Micronutrient Research at Annamalai University in India, milk fortification may be a viable intervention approach to combatting these diseases.
The authors conducted a randomized, controlled trial among 633 children aged 1-4 years in a peri-urban population in New Delhi, India, from April 2002-April 2004. An intervention group of 316 children received milk fortified with additional micronutrients—7.8 mg zinc, 9.6 mg iron, 4.2 µg selenium, 0.27 mg copper, 156 µg vitamin A, 40.2 mg vitamin C and 7.5 mg vitamin E—while a control group of 317 children received the same milk without fortification. The study was undertaken in children over 12 months of age, of which breast feeding is not the primary source of nutrition.
The children who received fortified milk had fewer episodes of diarrhea and acute lower respiratory illness (pneumonia). Fortified milk reduced the number of days with severe illness by 15 percent, the number of days with high fever by 7 percent, the incidence of diarrhea by 18 percent and the incidence of pneumonia by 26 percent.
Apparently, a balanced nutrition, particular a sufficient supply of micronutrients, is crucial for maintaining a robust immune system.
Tags: developing-countries, diet, functional-food, health, health-food, Healthy Eating, healthy-diet, milkRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Healthy Beverages, ~Immune Defense, ~Milk Products
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