A dietary supplement in the form of a cheap, fortified, orange-flavoured drink can reduce Third World deficiencies in nutrients such as iron, iodine and vitamin A, according to new research.
A nutritionist, who three years ago showed that the drink improves the health and physical growth of children in the developing world, has now reported that it can also influence the health of pregnant and lactating mothers and their infants in the Third World, reducing the risk for disability, ill health, and consequently, low productivity.
Reporting at the Micronutrient Colloquium in Cincinnati earlier this month, Michael Latham, professor of international nutrition at Cornell University in the US, reported that the supplement eases the so-called "hidden hunger" that plagues more than 2 billion people worldwide and particularly affects pregnant and nursing mothers and young children.
In the study carried out last year, Latham tested the specially formulated supplement on 439 pregnant Tanzanian women, some of whom continued to be monitored after giving birth. He found that the supplement significantly improved the iron and vitamin A status of the women, compared with a control group of those who did not consume the fortified drink. The risk of anaemia dropped by 51 per cent in pregnant women who consumed the drink.
"A simple powdered drink, which is well liked and taken regularly when available, is convenient, simple to use and could be easily manufactured locally and widely distributed," noted Latham, who was director of Cornell's Program in International Nutrition for 25 years.
"What started as an important but relatively small study in Tanzania a few years ago has mushroomed into trials in the Philippines and Bangladesh and the successful marketing of the product in Venezuela (under the brand name Nutri Star), which is likely to be expanded in Latin America," Latham added.
The drink is made by mixing an orange-flavoured powder fortified with 11 vitamins and minerals - iron, zinc, iodine, vitamins A, C and E, folic acid, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin and pyrodoxine - in a glass of water.
Latham said that about two-thirds of pregnant women in the developing world suffer from anaemia, and many do not take iron pills regularly. In addition, many infants in developing countries are at risk for vitamin A deficiency. It was found that the breast milk of new mothers in the Tanzanian test group consuming the fortified supplement showed improved vitamin A levels in their breast milk compared with the control group.
Similar findings have been found in a study of children in the Philippines, and another study is under way in Bangladesh with adolescent girls.
The experimental batch of the powder was manufactured by Procter and Gamble and the research in Tanzania was supported by the Micronutrient Initiative of Canada and by UNICEF. The work has also benefited from public-private partnerships and collaboration among international organisations, developing-country institutions, the private sector and academia.