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Maternal micronutrient supplementation with zinc and β-carotene affects morbidity and immune function of infants during the first 6 months of life

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 64, pages 1072–1079 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent worldwide, and a major cause of infant death. Supplementation with multiple micronutrients during pregnancy might improve micronutrient status of the newborn, thereby reducing morbidity and death. Moreover, maternal supplementation might affect the newborn's immune development. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of maternal zinc and β-carotene supplementation on the infant's morbidity and immune function during the first 6 months of life.

Subjects/Methods:

Mothers were supplemented during pregnancy with β-carotene and/or zinc, in addition to iron and folic acid, in a randomized, double-blind controlled trial. Newborn infants (n=136) were followed up for 6 months.

Results:

Infants born from mothers receiving zinc during pregnancy had significantly fewer episodes of diarrhoea than infants born from mothers not receiving zinc (0.2 and 0.4, respectively), but more episodes of cough (1.3 and 0.9 respectively) during the first 6 months. Maternal β-carotene supplementation had no effect on infants’ morbidity. Cytokine production in the newborns was affected by maternal zinc and β-carotene supplementation, with zinc supplementation giving higher interleukin-6 production (16% higher), and β-carotene supplementation leading to lower interferon-γ production (36% lower).

Conclusions:

This study shows that maternal supplementation with zinc and β-carotene affected the newborn's immune development in specific ways, but only maternal zinc supplementation significantly affected morbidity in the infants. Addition of zinc to routine iron and folic acid supplements for pregnant women could be an effective way to reduce diarrhoeal disease during the first 6 months of life, albeit at the expense of more episodes of cough.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this research was obtained from the Ter Meulen Fund, Dutch Academy of Sciences and Arts, The Netherlands, and the Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical Research (WOTRO), The Netherlands. The funding agencies had no role in the study design, data analysis or writing of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR 204, Prévention des malnutritions et des pathologies associées, Institute de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France

    F T Wieringa

  2. Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    F T Wieringa & M A Dijkhuizen

  3. Department of Human Nutrition, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark,

    M A Dijkhuizen

  4. Nutrition Research and Development Centre, Bogor, Indonesia

    Muhilal

  5. Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Centre Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    J W M Van der Meer

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  1. F T Wieringa
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  4. J W M Van der Meer
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Correspondence to F T Wieringa.

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Wieringa, F., Dijkhuizen, M., Muhilal et al. Maternal micronutrient supplementation with zinc and β-carotene affects morbidity and immune function of infants during the first 6 months of life. Eur J Clin Nutr 64, 1072–1079 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.115

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