The outcome of pregnancy is highly dependent on the health status of the mother.
According to the 7th National Nutrition Survey (NNS) by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) in 2008, 26.3 percent of pregnant women are nutritionally-at-risk for delivering low birth weight infants.
Moreover, the prevalence rate of anemia among pregnant women is 42.5 percent and 9.5 percent for Vitamin A deficiency, the survey also disclosed.
This high rate of undernourished pregnant women translates into high rate of undernourished babies.
One of the effective strategies in uplifting the nutritional status of pregnant women is micronutrient supplementation.
Presently, pregnant women benefit from the iron, vitamin A and iodine supplementation programs of the government.
Based on the results of the 7th NNS, 34.3 percent of pregnant women received iron supplementation while, 6.6 percent got vitamin A supplementation and only 2.9 percent benefited from iodine supplementation.
Interventions are always focused on these single nutrient supplementations but multiple nutrient supplementations can also be given to pregnant women due to their additional nutrient requirements.
At present, there are no local studies showing the effects of multiple micronutrient supplementations on the health status of pregnant women.
The FNRI-DOST looked into the benefits of multiple micronutrient supplementation composed of iron, vitamin A, vitamin B2, folate and zinc to anemic pregnant women instead of just giving a single nutrient.
In the study, three groups of anemic pregnant women received three different nutrient supplementations namely the multi-micronutrient, iron-folic acid and iron alone.
Based on the results of the study, anemia prevalence among anemic pregnant women who received the multi-micronutrient supplementation significantly dropped to 12.8 percent compared to the anemia prevalence of those who received iron-folic acid at 27.3 percent and those who received iron only at 46.9 percent.
Even though the amount of iron in the multi-micronutrient supplementations is lower than those of iron-folic acid only and iron alone, there is still a significant improvement in the iron status of pregnant women.
Improvement in vitamin B2 and folate status were also noted for pregnant women who took the multi-micronutrient supplementation.
Furthermore, pregnant women who received the multi-micronutrient and iron-folic acid supplementations reduced incidence of low birth weight babies, premature deliveries and low occurrence of neonatal deaths compared to those who received iron alone.
Based on the positive results of this study, the government should consider giving multiple micronutrient supplementation to pregnant women instead of iron alone.
For more information on food and nutrition, contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology, General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Telefax: 837-2934 and 827-3164, or call: 8372071 local 2296 or visit our website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph.
