SORT: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Clinical recommendation	Evidence rating	References
Zinc reduces the severity and duration of acute and chronic diarrhea in children from developing countries.	A	12, 13
Zinc acetate is an effective maintenance therapy for Wilson disease.	B	35, 36
Clinical zinc deficiency in adults should be treated with zinc supplements at two to five times the recommended dietary allowance.	C	40, 41
Zinc in combination with vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene may slow the progression of intermediate and advanced age-related macular degeneration.	B	14

A = consistent, good-quality patient-oriented evidence; B = inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence; C = consensus, disease-oriented evidence, usual practice, expert opinion, or case series. For information about the SORT evidence rating system, go to http://www.aafp.org/afpsort.xml.