Maternal zinc supplementation does not affect size at birth or pregnancy duration in Peru.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in this randomized controlled trial publication.

To estimate the effect of maternal zinc deficiency on pregnancy outcomes, the researchers conducted a zinc supplementation trial in an urban shantytown in Lima, Peru, a population with habitual low zinc intakes.

At delivery, 1016 remained in the study; duration of pregnancy was known for all women, and birth weight information was available for 957 newborns.

Who Took Part

PubMed indexes the participants as adults, women only.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized and double-blind study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

At birth, newborn weight was recorded, and crownheel length, head circumference and other circumferences and skinfold thicknesses were assessed on d 1.

What Was Measured

To estimate the effect of maternal zinc deficiency on pregnancy outcomes, the researchers conducted a zinc supplementation trial in an urban shantytown in Lima, Peru, a population with habitual low zinc intakes.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Anthropometry, Birth Weight, Drug Combinations, Educational Status, Folic Acid, Gestational Age and Iron.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and double-blind study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

The publication is from 1999 (The Journal of nutrition), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.