title: Prenatal Micronutrient Supplementation Is Not Associated with Intellectual Development of Young School-Aged Children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Micronutrient supplementation is often prescribed during pregnancy. The effects of prenatal iron and multimicronutrient supplementation on intellectual development in young school-aged children are less than clear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine the long-term effects of prenatal iron plus folic acid or multiple micronutrient (including iron and folic acid) supplementation vs. folic acid supplementation on the intellectual development of young school-aged children in rural China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Young school-aged children (aged 7-10 y, n = 1744) of women who had participated in a trial of prenatal supplementation with various combinations of micronutrients and remained residents in 2 rural counties in China were followed. We measured their intellectual development by Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). The WISC-IV generated the Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ), Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), Working Memory Index (WMI), Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), and Processing Speed Index (PSI). Multilevel analyses were used to assess the effect of prenatal micronutrient supplementation on the intellectual development of children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean differences in FSIQ, VCI, WMI, PRI, and PSI, respectively, were not significant between prenatal folic acid supplementation and either iron plus folic acid [-0.34 (P = 0.65), -0.06 (P = 0.95), -0.22 (P = 0.76), -0.01 (P = 0.99), and -1.26 (P = 0.11)] or multimicronutrient [-0.39 (P = 0.60), -0.64 (P = 0.48), 0.11 (P = 0.87), -0.43 (P = 0.59), and -0.34; (P = 0.65)] supplementation after adjusting for confounders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is no evidence to suggest a different effect on intellectual development between prenatal iron plus folic acid, multimicronutrient supplementation, and prenatal folic acid supplementation in children aged 7-10 y. This trial was registered at www.isrctn.com as ISRCTN08850194.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health.
authors.forename: Lingxia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Pembroke Place, Liverpool, United Kingdom; and.
authors.forename: Duolao
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Maternal and Child Health Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China;
authors.forename: Wenfang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health.
authors.forename: Shaonong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Nutrition and Food Safety Engineering Research Center of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, China xjtu_yh.paper@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D002681:China; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000187:drug effects*; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D007501:Iron / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D018977:Micronutrients; D005492:Folic Acid; D007501:Iron
keywords: intellectual development; longitudinal study; prenatal micronutrient supplementation; rural China; young school-aged children