Do all Canadian children have enough zinc?

I read “Zinc supplementation for acute gastroenteritis”¹ in the April issue of Canadian Family Physician with interest. In the article, Goldman stated the following: “Canadian children in general are not zinc deficient.”¹ He based this statement on a study done on children in southern Ontario. As a physician who works in northern Canada, predominately with remote and rural aboriginal populations, I wonder if this statement needs more of a caveat. I am not convinced that northern children have sufficient amounts of zinc, given the limited nature of their diet, and I wonder if they would benefit from zinc supplementation during episodes of acute gastroenteritis. We know that levels are depleted with gastroenteritis and that supplementation can prevent subsequent episodes over the next 4 months. So, it is not just a question of having sufficient levels of zinc before illness, but it is having enough stored to recover after the illness that is of interest. Perhaps this is an area for further research.

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