Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 Apr;14(2):e12570.
doi: 10.1111/mcn.12570. Epub 2017 Dec 6.

Supplementation during pregnancy with small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements or multiple micronutrients, compared with iron and folic acid, increases women's urinary iodine concentration in semiurban Ghana: A randomized controlled trial

Seth Adu-Afarwuah  1 , Rebecca T Young  2 , Anna Lartey  1 , Harriet Okronipa  1 , Per Ashorn  3 , Ulla Ashorn  3 , Mamane Zeilani  4 , Kathryn G Dewey  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Supplementation during pregnancy with small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements or multiple micronutrients, compared with iron and folic acid, increases women's urinary iodine concentration in semiurban Ghana: A randomized controlled trial

Seth Adu-Afarwuah et al. Matern Child Nutr. 2018 Apr.

Abstract

There is little information on whether prenatal multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplements containing iodine affect women's iodine status. In the International Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements DYAD-Ghana trial, we aimed to assess women's urinary iodine concentration (UIC, μg/L) during pregnancy, as one of the planned secondary outcomes. Women (n = 1,320) <20 weeks of gestation were randomized to consume 60 mg iron and 400 μg folic acid per day (iron and folic acid [IFA]); 18 vitamins and minerals including 250 μg iodine per day (MMN); or 20 g/day of small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) with the same and additional 4 vitamins and minerals as the MMN (LNS). In a subsample (n = 295), we tested differences in groups' geometric mean UICs at 36 weeks of gestation controlling for baseline UIC and compared the geometric means (approximately median UICs) with the World Health Organization (WHO) cut-offs: median UIC <150, 150-249, and ≥500 reflecting low, adequate, and excessive iodine intakes, respectively. At baseline, overall median UIC was 137. At 36 weeks of gestation, controlling for baseline UIC, geometric mean (95% confidence interval) UICs of the MMN (161 [133, 184]) and LNS (158 [132, 185]) groups did not differ; both values were significantly greater (overall p = .004) than that of the IFA group (116 [101, 135]). The median UICs of the MMN and LNS groups were within the WHO "adequate" range, whereas that of the IFA group was below the WHO adequate range. In this setting, supplementation during pregnancy with small-quantity LNS or MMN providing iodine at the WHO-recommended dose, compared with IFA, increases the likelihood of adequate iodine status.

Keywords: iLiNS DYAD-Ghana; iodine intakes; multiple micronutrient capsules; pregnant women; small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements; urinary iodine concentration.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

S. Adu‐Afarwuah, R. T. Young, A. Lartey, H. Okronipa, P. Ashorn, U. Ashorn, and K. G. Dewey declare no conflicts of interest. At the time of the study, M. Zeilani was an employee of Nutriset S.A.S., which is a commercial producer of LNS products. The funder of the study had no role in the study design; data collection, analysis, and interpretation; and the preparation of the manuscript.

References

    1. Adu‐Afarwuah, S. , Lartey, A. , Okronipa, H. , Ashorn, P. , Ashorn, U. , Zeilani, M. , … Dewey, K. G. (2017). Maternal supplementation with small‐quantity lipid‐based nutrient supplements compared with multiple micronutrients, but not with iron and folic acid, reduces the prevalence of low gestational weight gain in semi‐urban Ghana: A randomized controlled trial. The Journal of Nutrition, 147, 697–705. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adu‐Afarwuah, S. , Lartey, A. , Okronipa, H. , Ashorn, P. , Peerson, J. M. , Arimond, M. , … Dewey, K. G. (2016). Small‐quantity, lipid‐based nutrient supplements provided to women during pregnancy and 6 mo postpartum and to their infants from 6 mo of age increase the mean attained length of 18‐mo‐old children in semi‐urban Ghana: A randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 104, 797–808. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adu‐Afarwuah, S. , Lartey, A. , Okronipa, H. , Ashorn, P. , Zeilani, M. , Baldiviez, L. M. , … Dewey, K. G. (2016). Impact of small‐quantity lipid‐based nutrient supplement on hemoglobin, iron status and biomarkers of inflammation in pregnant Ghanaian women. Maternal & Child Nutrition. 10.1111/mcn.12262 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adu‐Afarwuah, S. , Lartey, A. , Okronipa, H. , Ashorn, P. , Zeilani, M. , Peerson, J. M. , … Dewey, K. G. (2015). Lipid‐based nutrient supplement increases the birth size of infants of primiparous women in Ghana. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 101, 835–846. - PubMed
    1. Agbozo, F. , Dera, J. B. , Gloverb, N. J. , & Ellahi, B. (2016). Household and market survey on availability of adequately iodized salt in the Volta region, Ghana. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education. 10.1080/14635240.2016.1250658 - DOI

Publication types

MeSH terms