Multiple-micronutrient supplementation good for pregnant teens

Multiple-micronutrient (MMN) supplementation helps improve birth outcomes in pregnant adolescents in low- and middle-income countries, according to the results of a meta-analysis.

The researchers accessed multiple online databases for studies investigating the effect of MMN supplementation against iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation in terms of maternal morbidity, birth outcomes, and mortality outcomes. These outcomes were assessed in teens and compared with those in adult women.

Out of the 1,792 reviews and 1,578 original initially identified, 13 randomized controlled trials conducted in a low- or middle-income country in Africa or Asia were included. A total of 15,283 adolescents and 44,499 adult women with singleton births were included in the individual participant data meta-analyses of MMN supplementation vs IFA supplementation.

Pooled data showed that in adolescents, MMN vs IFA supplementation conferred greater benefits for the following: low birth weight (1-stage: odds ratio [OR], 0.87, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.77–0.97; 2-stage: OR, 0.81, 95 percent CI, 0.74–0.88), preterm birth (1-stage: OR, 0.88, 95 percent CI, 0.80–0.98; 2-stage: OR, 0.86, 95 percent CI, 0.79–0.95), and small-for-gestational-age births (1-stage: OR, 0.90, 95 percent CI, 0.81–1.00; 2-stage: OR, 0.86, 95 percent CI, 0.79–0.95).

The effects of MMN supplementation were similar in adolescents and older women, although a potentially greater reduction in small-for-gestational-age births was observed among the former. There was no conclusive evidence regarding the effect modification by baseline characteristics and geographic region.

The present data highlight the importance of prioritizing MMN supplementation over the currently recommended IFA supplementation for all pregnant women, especially adolescents.