Supplementation with iron and folic acid enhances growth in adolescent Indian girls.
The prevalence of anemia is high in adolescent girls in India, with over 70% anemic. Iron-folic acid (IFA) supplements have been shown to enhance adolescent growth elsewhere in the world. To confirm these results in India, a study was conducted in urban areas of Vadodora, India to investigate the effect of IFA supplements on hemoglobin, hunger and growth in adolescent girls 10-18 y of age. Results show that there was a high demand for IFA supplements and >90% of the girls consumed 85 out of 90 tablets provided. There was an increment of 17.3 g/L hemoglobin in the group of girls receiving IFA supplements, whereas hemoglobin decreased slightly in girls in the control group. Girls and parents reported that girls increased their food intake. A significant weight gain of 0.83 kg was seen in the intervention group, whereas girls in the control group showed little weight gain. The growth increment was greater in the 10- to 14-y-old age group than in the 15- to 18-y-old group, as expected, due to rapid growth during the adolescent spurt. IFA supplementation is recommended for growth promotion among adolescents who are underweight.
Kanani
S J
SJ
Department of Foods and Nutrition, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara, India.
Poojara
R H
RH
D000293:Adolescent; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006128:Growth / Q000187:drug effects*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000187:drug effects; D007194:India; D007501:Iron / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011203:Poverty; D011897:Random Allocation; D014505:Urban Population
D006454:Hemoglobins; D005492:Folic Acid; D007501:Iron