Trial reportEuropean journal of clinical nutrition2013
Efficacy of a multi micronutrient-fortified drink in improving iron and micronutrient status among schoolchildren with low iron stores in India: a randomised, double-masked placebo-controlled trial.
Trial report in European journal of clinical nutrition, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
17 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Foods Fortified with Zinc, Alone or Cofortified with Multiple Micronutrients, on Health and Functional Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2021Pooled it
- Food fortification with multiple micronutrients: impact on health outcomes in general population.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Fortification of staple foods with vitamin A for vitamin A deficiency.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Review
- The Community Prevalence of Vitamin C Deficiency and Inadequacy-How Does Australia Compare With Other Nations? A Scoping Review.Health science reports · 2025Review
- Interventions to improve vitamin and mineral inadequacies among children in India: a scoping review.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2025Article
- Article
- Effectiveness of a fortified drink in improving B vitamin biomarkers in older adults: a controlled intervention trial.Nutrition & metabolism · 2021Article
- Plant-Based Dietary Practices and Socioeconomic Factors That Influence Anemia in India.Nutrients · 2021Review
- Serum Trace Element Levels and Their Correlation with Picky Eating Behavior, Development, and Physical Activity in Early Childhood.Nutrients · 2021Article
- The relationship between dietary micronutrients intake and cognition test performance among school-aged children in government-owned primary schools in Kumasi metropolis, Ghana.Food science & nutrition · 2019Article
- Prevalence of Vitamin BIndian journal of pediatrics · 2017Article
- Contribution of food sources to the vitamin B12 status of South Indian children from a birth cohort recruited in the city of Mysore.Public health nutrition · 2015Article
- Micronutrients Deficiency, a Hidden Hunger in Nepal: Prevalence, Causes, Consequences, and Solutions.International scholarly research notices · 2015Review
- Back-transformation of treatment differences--an approximate method.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2014Article
- Comparing the metal concentration in the hair of cancer patients and healthy people living in the malwa region of punjab, India.Clinical Medicine Insights. Oncology · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesA multiple micronutrient-fortified drink could be an effective strategy to combating micronutrient deficiencies in school going children. To assess the efficacy of a multiple micronutrient-fortified drink in reducing iron deficiency (ID), ID anemia (IDA), anemia and improving micronutrient status among schoolchildren with low iron stores. The study employed a school-based, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. SUBJECTS/
methodsSchoolchildren with low serum ferritin (SF <20 μg/l) (n=246), aged 6-12 years were randomly assigned to receive either a multi-micronutrient fortified or an unfortified identical control drink. The drinks were provided 6 days/week for 8 weeks. Anthropometric and biochemical assessments were taken at baseline and endline.
resultsStudy groups at baseline were comparable, and compliance to the intervention was similar. The overall prevalence of ID, IDA and anemia was 64%, 19% and 24%, respectively. The prevalence of ID, IDA, vitamin C and vitamin B₁₂ deficiencies significantly reduced by 42%, 18%, 21% and 5%, respectively, in the intervention arm (P<0.01) as compared with the control arm at the end of the study. Similarly, the concentration of hemoglobin, SF, vitamin A, vitamin B₁₂, vitamin C and body iron stores were significantly higher in the intervention arm in comparison to the control arm (P<0.001). Red cell folate levels also improved significantly in the intervention arm (P=0.04), however, serum zinc status did not change in either of the study arms. Children who had received the fortified drink had significantly lower odds of being ID (0.15; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09-0.27), IDA (0.14; 95% CI: 0.04-0.52), vitamin B₁₂ deficient (0.36; 95% CI: 0.18-0.73) and vitamin C deficient (0.24; 95% CI: 0.13-0.46), after adjusting for baseline age, gender and weight.
conclusionsThe multi micronutrient-fortified drink was efficacious in reducing the prevalence of ID, IDA, vitamin C and vitamin B₁₂ deficiency and improved micronutrient status in schoolchildren.
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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.