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Does antenatal micronutrient supplementation improve children's cognitive function? Evidence from the follow-up of a

Sophiya Dulal1, Frédérique Liégeois2, David Osrin3

  • 1Mother and Infant Research Activities (MIRA), Kathmandu, Nepal.

BMJ Global Health
|March 13, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Antenatal multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplementation did not improve children's intelligence or executive function by age 12 compared to iron and folic acid (IFA) only. This study followed children in Nepal from a randomized controlled trial.

Area of Science:

  • Maternal and child health
  • Nutritional science
  • Cognitive development

Background:

  • Multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplementation during pregnancy is linked to improved infant outcomes and potential cognitive benefits.
  • Undernutrition in pregnancy is common in many regions, highlighting the importance of adequate nutrient intake for fetal development.
  • Previous research suggests MMN may enhance cognitive function through improved fetal brain development and birth weight.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that children whose mothers received MMN supplementation during pregnancy would exhibit higher intelligence in early adolescence compared to those receiving only Iron and Folic Acid (IFA).
  • To evaluate the long-term effects of antenatal MMN supplementation on cognitive abilities, specifically intelligence and executive function, in children at 12 years of age.

Main Methods:

  • Follow-up of children from a double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) conducted in Nepal.
  • Assessment of children's Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) using the Universal Non-verbal Intelligence Test (UNIT).
  • Evaluation of executive function using the counting Stroop test.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) at 12 years were observed between the MMN and IFA groups.
  • No differences were found in specific cognitive domains including memory, reasoning, and symbolic/non-symbolic quotients as assessed by the UNIT.
  • The study identified 813 children (76%) for follow-up from the original 1069 participants.

Conclusions:

  • Antenatal multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplementation showed no demonstrable benefit for children's overall intelligence or executive function at 12 years of age when compared to Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation.
  • The findings suggest that MMN supplementation during pregnancy may not confer lasting advantages in cognitive development up to early adolescence in this population.
  • Further research may be needed to explore potential benefits in different populations or at different developmental stages.
Abstract

Keywords:
child healthclinical trialnutritionpublic health

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