Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30003521›Full record

Trial reportMaternal and child health journal2019

Effect of Maternal Vitamin B12 Supplementation on Cognitive Outcomes in South Indian Children: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

Susan Thomas, Tinku Thomas, Ronald J Bosch, Asha Ramthal, David C Bellinger, Anura V Kurpad, Christopher P Duggan, Krishnamachari Srinivasan

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Maternal and child health journal, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Pooled it
  5. Maternal supplementation of vitamin BBMJ paediatrics open · 2026
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  11. Indian journal of hematology & blood transfusion : an official journal of Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Susan ThomasDivision of Mental Health & Neurosciences, St John's National Academy of Health Sciences, St John's Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560034, India.
Tinku ThomasDivision of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Population Health, St John's Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Ronald J BoschDepartment of Biostatistics, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Asha RamthalDivision of Mental Health & Neurosciences, St John's National Academy of Health Sciences, St John's Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560034, India.
David C BellingerDepartment of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Anura V KurpadDivision of Nutrition, St John's Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Christopher P DugganDivision of Nutrition, St John's Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Krishnamachari SrinivasanDivision of Mental Health & Neurosciences, St John's National Academy of Health Sciences, St John's Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560034, India. srinivas@sjri.res.in.

Funding

Indian Council of Medical Research 5/7/900/12-RCH
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives To examine the effects of oral maternal vitamin B12 supplementation during pregnancy and early lactation on cognitive development in children. Method We studied 218 children born to mothers enrolled in a placebo-controlled, randomized trial of vitamin B12 supplementation during pregnancy through 6 weeks post-partum. Cognitive functions were assessed at 30 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development- 3rd edition (BSID III). The association of maternal sociodemographic characteristics, maternal biochemical status during pregnancy, birth weight and home environment with each sub-domain of BSID-III was examined using linear regression analysis. Separate multiple linear regression analyses for each of the BSID-III sub-domains with maternal trimester specific nutritional biomarker status was conducted. Results Children of mothers who received oral vitamin B12 supplementation had significantly higher scores on expressive language compared to children of mothers who received placebo (β = 0.14, P = 0.03). Children of mothers with elevated serum total homocysteine (tHcy) in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy had significantly lower scores on expressive language (β = - 0.18, P = 0.03 and β = - 0.19, P = 0.02, respectively) and gross motor domains (β = - 0.23, P = 0.008 and β = - 0.30, P = 0.001, respectively) of BSID-III adjusted for treatment arm and multiple confounders, compared with children whose mothers did not have elevated tHcy. Conclusions for practice Maternal B12 supplementation during pregnancy was associated with higher expressive language scores in children at 30 months. Elevated maternal tHcy levels during pregnancy had negative associations with expressive language and gross motor domains of BSID-III. Larger trials of maternal B12 supplementation are needed to confirm these findings.

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentDietary SupplementsFetal DevelopmentChildCognitionFemaleHumansIndiaInfantMaleMaternal Nutritional Physiological PhenomenaPostnatal CarePregnancyPrenatal CarePrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsSocioeconomic FactorsVitamin B 12CognitionElevated homocysteine levelsVitamin B12 supplementation

Identifiers

PMID30003521

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.