Milk Fortified With Micronutrients Improves Weight And Height Among Needy Preschoolers

August 13, 2010: 06:44 PM EST

Milk fortified with micronutrients such as zinc and iron enhanced the growth and iron status while reducing anemia in young children, a clinical trial conducted in India between 2002 and 2004 has found. Researchers from the U.S. and India noted that micronutrient deficiencies are common among preschoolers in low-income countries and often lead to anemia and slow growth. Micronutrient supplementation and health education programs have had limited success, so the study was designed to test whether fortification of foods might offer a better approach. The community-based trial among children one to four years old who were fed milk fortified especially with zinc and iron found that children who drank fortified milk “showed significant improvement in weight gain and height gain” compared to the control group, as well as an 88 percent lower risk of iron deficiency anemia.

Sunil Sazawal, Usha Dhingra, Pratibha Dhingra, Girish Hiremath, Archana Sarkar, Arup Dutta, Venugopal P. Menon, Robert E. Black, "Micronutrient Fortified Milk Improves Iron Status, Anemia and Growth among Children 1–4 Years: A Double Masked, Randomized, Controlled Trial", PlosOne, August 13, 2010, © Open Access

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Milk Fortified With Micronutrients Improves Weight And Height Among Needy Preschoolers

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