Lipid-based nutrient supplement increases the birth size of infants of primiparous women in Ghana.

Study answer

What this study found

Prenatal LNS improved birth size, with the clearest benefits in primiparous women. In the full sample, LNS versus IFA increased birth weight by 85 g (P = 0.040), WAZ by 0.19 (P = 0.045), and BMIZ by 0.21 (P = 0.035), and reduced low birth weight risk (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.96; P = 0.032). Among primiparas, LNS versus IFA increased birth length by 0.91 cm, weight by 237 g, and head circumference by 0.50 cm, while lowering risks of low birth length, low birth weight, and small-for-gestational-age; versus MMN, primiparas also had higher birth length (+0.67 cm) and weight (+139 g). In…

Study & population

Community-based randomized trial in semiurban southern Ghana among pregnant women.

Intervention

Pregnant women received one oral 20 g lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) sachet daily mixed with food until delivery; each sachet provided 118 kcal, 2.6 g protein, 10 g fat, and multiple vitamins and minerals including 20 mg iron and 400 mcg folic acid.

Key limitation

A substantial number of pregnancies were excluded because of mixed supplement exposure, which may affect generalizability and introduce selection bias.

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Original abstract