Effects of a dairy product fortified with multiple micronutrients and omega-3 fatty acids on birth weight and gestation duration in pregnant Chilean women.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that maternal food fortification with omega-3 fatty acids and multiple micronutrients increases birth weight and gestation duration, as primary outcomes.


METHODS
Non-blinded, randomised controlled study.


METHODS
Pregnant women received powdered milk during their health check-ups at 19 antenatal clinics and delivered at two maternity hospitals in Santiago, Chile.


METHODS
Pregnant women were assigned to receive regular powdered milk (n = 477) or a milk product fortified with multiple micronutrients and omega-3 fatty acids (n = 495).


RESULTS
Intention-to-treat analysis showed that mean birth weight was higher in the intervention group than in controls (65.4 g difference, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5-126 g; P = 0.03) and the incidence of very preterm birth (0.80 just for mean birth weight and birth length in the on-treatment analysis; birth length in that analysis had a difference of 0.57 cm (95% CI 0.19-0.96 cm; P = 0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
The new intervention resulted in increased mean birth weight. Associations with gestation duration and most secondary outcomes need a larger sample size for confirmation.
Mardones
Francisco
F
1Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Marcoleta 434, Santiago, Chile. mardones@med.puc.cl
Urrutia
Maria-Teresa
MT
Villarroel
Luis
L
Rioseco
Alonso
A
Castillo
Oscar
O
Rozowski
Jaime
J
Tapia
Jose-Luis
JL
Bastias
Gabriel
G
Bacallao
Jorge
J
Rojas
Ivan
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000187:drug effects*; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D003611:Dairy Products; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005527:Food, Fortified; D005865:Gestational Age; D006405:Hematology; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008892:Milk; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000175:diagnosis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D018977:Micronutrients