Including Elemental Iron in a Multiple Micronutrient Supplement Blunts the Increase in Serum Zinc after 12 Weeks of Daily Supplementation in Predominantly Anemic, Nonpregnant Cambodian Women of Reproductive Age.

What Was Tested

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

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of MMN supplementation with or without iron on serum zinc, selenium, and copper concentrations in Cambodian women.

Why It Was Studied

Multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplementation may result in interaction effects due to competing absorptive pathways of trace elements.

Who Took Part

The study group was 12 women.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were teenagers, young adults, adults and middle-aged adults, women only.

Fasting morning blood was collected at baseline and 12 wk from women in 26 villages in Kampong Chhnang province.

How the Study Was Run

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

Because people in this Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

As a double-blind Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

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

Serum zinc, selenium, and copper concentrations (secondary outcomes of the randomized controlled trial) were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Anemia, Copper, Dietary Supplements, Iron, Micronutrients, Selenium and Zinc.

Author keywords: Cambodia, nutrition and supplementation.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc and Copper (Supplement) in 12 women.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 6 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2019 (The Journal of nutrition), a journal based in United States.

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