Trial reportThe American journal of clinical nutrition2012
Randomized controlled trial of meat compared with multimicronutrient-fortified cereal in infants and toddlers with high stunting rates in diverse settings.
Trial report in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 85 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of early-life protein supplementation on childhood obesity and related metabolic outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- What influences child feeding in the Northern Triangle? A mixed-methods systematic review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Zinc supplementation for the promotion of growth and prevention of infections in infants less than six months of age.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Food fortification with multiple micronutrients: impact on health outcomes in general population.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- A Systematic Review Investigating the Relation Between Animal-Source Food Consumption and Stunting in Children Aged 6-60 Months in Low and Middle-Income Countries.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2019Pooled it
- Impact of Beef and Beef Product Intake on Cognition in Children and Young Adults: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2019Pooled it
- Effects of animal protein supplementation of mothers, preterm infants, and term infants on growth outcomes in childhood: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2019Pooled it
- Effectiveness of provision of animal-source foods for supporting optimal growth and development in children 6 to 59 months of age.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Interventions to improve linear growth during complementary feeding period for children aged 6-24 months living in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Gates open research · 2019Pooled it
- Fortification of maize flour with iron for controlling anaemia and iron deficiency in populations.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Junk food use and neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes in infants in low-resource settings.Frontiers in public health · 2024Trial
- Effects of egg as an early complementary food on growth of 6- to 9-month-old infants: a randomised controlled trial.Public health nutrition · 2023Trial
- Child-Owned Poultry Intervention Effects on Hemoglobin, Anemia, Concurrent Anemia and Stunting, and Morbidity Status of Young Children in Southern Ethiopia: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Community Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Trial
- Effectiveness of an Integrated Nutrition Rehabilitation on Growth and Development of Children under Five Post 2018 Earthquake in East Lombok, Indonesia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- The Effect of Iron Fortification on Iron (Fe) Status and Inflammation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.PloS one · 2016Trial
- A cluster-randomized trial determining the efficacy of caterpillar cereal as a locally available and sustainable complementary food to prevent stunting and anaemia.Public health nutrition · 2015Trial
- Meat as complementary food for older breastfed infants and toddlers: a randomized, controlled trial in rural China.Food and nutrition bulletin · 2014Trial
- High protein intake from meat as complementary food increases growth but not adiposity in breastfed infants: a randomized trial.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2014Trial
- Theory-driven process evaluation of a complementary feeding trial in four countries.Health education research · 2014Trial
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
21 authors at 10 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundImproved complementary feeding is cited as a critical factor for reducing stunting. Consumption of meats has been advocated, but its efficacy in low-resource settings has not been tested.
objectiveThe objective was to test the hypothesis that daily intake of 30 to 45 g meat from 6 to 18 mo of age would result in greater linear growth velocity and improved micronutrient status in comparison with an equicaloric multimicronutrient-fortified cereal.
designThis was a cluster randomized efficacy trial conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Guatemala, and Pakistan. Individual daily portions of study foods and education messages to enhance complementary feeding were delivered to participants. Blood tests were obtained at trial completion.
resultsA total of 532 (86.1%) and 530 (85.8%) participants from the meat and cereal arms, respectively, completed the study. Linear growth velocity did not differ between treatment groups: 1.00 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.02) and 1.02 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.04) cm/mo for the meat and cereal groups, respectively (P = 0.39). From baseline to 18 mo, stunting [length-for-age z score (LAZ) <-2.0] rates increased from ~33% to nearly 50%. Years of maternal education and maternal height were positively associated with linear growth velocity (P = 0.0006 and 0.003, respectively); LAZ at 6 mo was negatively associated (P < 0.0001). Anemia rates did not differ by group; iron deficiency was significantly lower in the cereal group.
conclusionThe high rate of stunting at baseline and the lack of effect of either the meat or multiple micronutrient-fortified cereal intervention to reverse its progression argue for multifaceted interventions beginning in the pre- and early postnatal periods.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.