1. Chasapis CT, Ntoupa P-SA, Spiliopoulou CA, Stefanidou ME. Recent aspects of the effects of zinc on human health. Archives of toxicology. 2020;94(5):1443-60. [DOI:10.1007/s00204-020-02702-9]

2. Maywald M, Rink L. Zinc in Human Health and Infectious Diseases. Biomolecules. 2022;12(12):1748. [DOI:10.3390/biom12121748]

3. Stevens GA, Beal T, Mbuya MNN, Luo H, Neufeld LM, Addo OY, et al. Micronutrient deficiencies among preschool-aged children and women of reproductive age worldwide: a pooled analysis of individual-level data from population-representative surveys. The Lancet Global Health. 2022;10(11):e1590-e9. [DOI:10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00367-9]

4. Pouraram H, Djazayery A, Mohammad K, Parsaeian M, Abdollahi Z, Dorosty Motlagh A, et al. Second National Integrated Micronutrient Survey in Iran: Study Design and Preliminary Findings. Arch Iran Med. 2018;21(4):137-44.

5. Abtahi M, Pouraram H, Djazayery A, Siassi F. Changes in the Prevalence of Micronutrient Deficiencies Among Under-2-and 6-Year-Old Children in Two National Surveys in Iran. Iran J Pediatr. 2022;32(2):e114851. [DOI:10.5812/ijp-114851]

6. Eslami MJ, Khoshhali M, Kelishadi R. A systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of zinc deficiency in Iranian population. Journal of Pediatrics Review. 2023;11(3):209-20. [DOI:10.32598/jpr.11.3.451.1]

7. Pinzón-Rondón Á M, Hoyos-Martínez A, Parra-Correa D, Pedraza-Flechas AM, Ruiz-Sternberg Á M. Association of nutritional support programs with zinc deficiency in Colombian children: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nutr. 2019;5:42. [DOI:10.1186/s40795-019-0305-8]

8. Arzhang P, Abbasi SH, Sarsangi P, Malekahmadi M, Nikbaf-Shandiz M, Bellissimo N, et al. Prevalence of household food insecurity among a healthy Iranian population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2022;9:1006543. [DOI:10.3389/fnut.2022.1006543]

9. Hall AG, King JC. Zinc Fortification: Current Trends and Strategies. Nutrients. 2022;14(19). [DOI:10.3390/nu14193895]

10. Rodríguez-Carmona Y, Denova-Gutiérrez E, Sánchez-Uribe E, Muñoz-Aguirre P, Flores M, Salmerón J. Zinc Supplementation and Fortification in Mexican Children. Food Nutr Bull. 2020;41(1):89-101. [DOI:10.1177/0379572119877757]

11. Majumdar A, Saraf SK, Sahu C, Pathak P, Baghel M. Zinc Deficiency: Impact on Growth, Immunity, and the Role of Plant-Based Nutritional Strategies. Chem Biodivers. 2025;22(10):e00325. [DOI:10.1002/cbdv.202500325]

12. Pritwani R, Mathur P. Strategies to combat micronutrient deficiencies: a review. International Journal of Health Sciences and Research. 2015;5(2):362-73.

13. Lowe NM, Zaman M, Khan MJ, Brazier AK, Shahzad B, Ullah U, et al. Biofortified wheat increases dietary zinc intake: a randomised controlled efficacy study of zincol-2016 in rural Pakistan. Frontiers in nutrition. 2022;8:809783. [DOI:10.3389/fnut.2021.809783]

14. Signorell C, Kurpad AV, Pauline M, Shenvi S, Mukhopadhyay A, King JC, et al. The effect of zinc biofortified wheat produced via foliar application on zinc status: a randomized, controlled trial in Indian children. The Journal of Nutrition. 2023;153(10):3092-100. [DOI:10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.08.013]

15. Liu E, Pimpin L, Shulkin M, Kranz S, Duggan CP, Mozaffarian D, et al. Effect of zinc supplementation on growth outcomes in children under 5 years of age. Nutrients. 2018;10(3):377. [DOI:10.3390/nu10030377]

16. Abdollahi M, Abdollahi Z, Fozouni F, Bondarianzadeh D. Oral zinc supplementation positively affects linear growth, but not weight, in children 6-24 months of age. International Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2014;5(3):280.

17. Abdollahi M, Ajami M, Abdollahi Z, Kalantari N, Houshiarrad A, Fozouni F, et al. Zinc supplementation is an effective and feasible strategy to prevent growth retardation in 6 to 24 month children: A pragmatic double blind, randomized trial. Heliyon. 2019;5(11). [DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02581]

18. Rouhani P, Rezaei Kelishadi M, Saneei P. Effect of zinc supplementation on mortality in under 5-year children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. European Journal of Nutrition. 2022;61(1):37-54. [DOI:10.1007/s00394-021-02604-1]

19. Monfared V, Salehian A, Nikniaz Z, Ebrahimpour-Koujan S, Faghfoori Z. The effect of zinc supplementation on anthropometric measurements in healthy children over two years: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC pediatrics. 2023;23(1):414. [DOI:10.1186/s12887-023-04249-x]

20. Brown KH, Hess SY, Vosti SA, Baker SK. Comparison of the estimated cost-effectiveness of preventive and therapeutic zinc supplementation strategies for reducing child morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Food and nutrition bulletin. 2013;34(2):199-214. [DOI:10.1177/156482651303400209]

21. Mayo‐Wilson E, Junior JA, Imdad A, Dean S, Chan XHS, Chan ES, et al. Zinc supplementation for preventing mortality, morbidity, and growth failure in children aged 6 months to 12 years of age. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2014(5). [DOI:10.1002/14651858.CD009384.pub2]

22. Imdad A, Bhutta ZA. Effect of preventive zinc supplementation on linear growth in children under 5 years of age in developing countries: a meta-analysis of studies for input to the lives saved tool. BMC public health. 2011;11(Suppl 3):S22. [DOI:10.1186/1471-2458-11-S3-S22]

23. Brown KH, Peerson JM, Baker SK, Hess SY. Preventive zinc supplementation among infants, preschoolers, and older prepubertal children. Food and nutrition bulletin. 2009;30(1_suppl1):S12-S40. [DOI:10.1177/15648265090301S103]