The effect of zinc supplementation on pregnancy outcomes: a double-blind, randomised controlled trial, Egypt.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

The present randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to evaluate the effect of two regimens of Zn supplementation on pregnancy outcomes in Alexandria, Egypt.

Why It Was Studied

Healthy pregnant women aged 20–45 years and having low serum Zn level below the estimated median for the gestational age were eligible to participate in the trial.

Of 1055 pregnant women assessed for the eligibility of low serum Zn level, 675 were eligible.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 1055 women were involved.

The age groups tagged for this paper are young adults, adults and middle-aged adults, women only.

They were followed up from the time of recruitment till 1 week after delivery.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled 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 women nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc group a baseline to be compared against.

What Was Measured

Healthy pregnant women aged 20–45 years and having low serum Zn level below the estimated median for the gestational age were eligible to participate in the trial.

Of 1055 pregnant women assessed for the eligibility of low serum Zn level, 675 were eligible.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Birth Weight, Dietary Supplements, Egypt, Healthy Volunteers, Pregnancy Complications, Pregnancy Outcome and Premature Birth.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 1055 women.

With several hundred people or more, it is a fairly large study for this kind of research.

The publication is from 2015 (The British journal of nutrition), a journal based in England.

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