Title
Adding zinc to prenatal iron and folate tablets improves fetal neurobehavioral development
Date Issued
01 January 1999
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Center for Human Nutrition
Publisher(s)
Mosby Inc.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to examine whether improvement in maternal zinc status during pregnancy is positively associated with fetal neurobehavioral development in a Peruvian population. STUDY DESIGN: We electronically monitored, at 32 and 36 weeks' gestation, 55 fetuses whose mothers were randomly assigned to receive, during pregnancy, a daily supplement containing 60 mg iron and 250 μg folate, with or without 15 mg zinc. Fetal heart rate and movement patterns were quantified in 55 and 34 fetuses, respectively, as indexes of neurobehavioral development. RESULTS: Fetuses of mothers who received zinc supplementation showed fewer episodes of minimal fetal heart rate variability, increased fetal heart rate range, an increased number of accelerations, an increased number of movement bouts, an increased amount of time spent moving, and an increased number of large movements. Differences by supplementation type increased with gestational age and were statistically significant at 36 weeks' gestation (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Improving maternal zinc status through prenatal supplementation may improve fetal neurobehavioral development.
Start page
483
End page
490
Volume
180
Issue
2 I
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Obstetricia, Ginecología
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-0032936218
PubMed ID
Source
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
ISSN of the container
00029378
Sponsor(s)
Supported by DAN-5116-A-00-8051-00, a cooperative agreement between the United States Agency for International Development/Office of Health and The Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Merialdi was supported in part by The Amalia Griffini and Jacopo Miglierina Foundation, Varese, Italy.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus