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

Study answer

What this study found

Zinc supplementation improved several obstetric and early neonatal outcomes in zinc-deficient pregnant women, with the zinc-alone regimen generally showing the stronger effect; birth weight did not differ meaningfully across groups. Second-and third-stage complications were reduced versus placebo, with RR 0.43, 95% CI 0.31, 0.60 for zinc alone and RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.40, 0.73 for zinc plus multivitamins. Preterm delivery occurred in 21 (10.6%) placebo, 2 (1%) zinc, and 4 (2%) zinc plus multivitamin participants; reported RR 0.012, 95% CI 0.036, 0.377 for zinc and RR 0.268, 95% CI 0.119, 0.603…

Study & population

Double-blind randomized controlled trial in zinc-deficient pregnant women attending antenatal care in Alexandria, Egypt, with enrolment around 15 weeks' gestation.

Intervention

Zinc-alone arm: 30 mg zinc sulfate orally once daily after meals from enrolment until delivery.

Key limitation

The trial was conducted in zinc-deficient pregnant women from one city in Egypt, so generalizability is limited.

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Original abstract