Prenatal micronutrient supplementation can reduce incidence of non communicable disease in offsprings
A new study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests boosting pregnant women's nutrition may have the twin benefits of immediately improving pregnancy outcomes and reducing the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in future generations.
Prenatal nutrition may affect a person's epigenetic development and, as a result, their chance of developing NCDs in later life. Therefore, Mia M. Blakstad and colleagues calculated the effect of prenatal supplementation with calcium, various micronutrients, or iron and folic acid (IFA) at 50%, 75%, or 90% coverage on subsequent NCDs by age and sex.
Researchers analyzed secondary data sources from 132 countries for this study to estimate how many cases of diabetes, hypertension, and deaths from particular NCDs may be prevented or postponed with increased prenatal vitamin supplementation.
The key findings of this study were:
1. If mothers received MMS prenatally at a 90% coverage rate, more than 51,000 NCD deaths, 6 million instances of hypertension, and 3 million cases of diabetes may be avoided globally in every child birth cohort.
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