Combined iron and zinc supplementation in infants improved iron and zinc status, but interactions reduced efficacy in a multicountry trial in southeast Asia.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, published as a randomized controlled trial.

To investigate effects on hemoglobin and zinc concentrations and interactions of iron and zinc supplementation in infants, data from 4 parallel, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam were pooled.

Why It Was Studied

Deficiencies of iron and zinc are prevalent worldwide.

Interactions between these micronutrients therefore have important consequences, also for supplementation.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are infants, both men and women.

At 3 sites, infants were given vitamin A capsules (VAC) at recruitment.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and parallel-group.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc group and the comparison group should start out alike.

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.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc could be set against what happens without it.

The Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc group and the comparison group ran side by side rather than switching.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Asia, Southeastern, Dietary Supplements, Drug Interactions, Hemoglobins, Iron, Iron, Dietary and Zinc.

What This Means in Plain Language

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

The publication is from 2007 (The Journal of nutrition), a journal based in United States.

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