Effects of prenatal early food and micronutrient supplementations on body size and cardiometabolic risk factors in the 15-year-old offspring - the MINIMat randomised trial
In brief
Early pregnancy food support reduced stunting at age 15 by 4 percentage points
In a randomized trial in rural Bangladesh, 17.4% of adolescents whose mothers were invited to food supplementation early in pregnancy were stunted at 15, compared with 21.4% after the usual invitation. The intervention modestly improved height but did not affect body mass index, blood pressure or cardiometabolic biomarkers; micronutrient supplements showed no cardiometabolic benefit either.
- Journal
- The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia (Q1)
- Published
- 5 October 2026
- Study design
- Randomized controlled trial
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1b)
- Authors
- Eero Kajantie, Rubhana Raqib, Eva-Charlotte Ekström, Monjur Rahman, Pieta Näsänen-Gilmore, Syed Moshfiqur Rahman, et al.
- PMID
- 42891007
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.lansea.2026.100878
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Epidemiology (paper of the day, 20 October 2026): Randomized trial of early prenatal food supplementation on adolescent height
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Evidence on the effects of maternal nutrition during pregnancy on offspring cardiometabolic risk is mixed. We hypothesized that 15-year-olds, whose mothers were randomised to maternal early pregnancy protein-energy supplementation, are taller and have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol than controls. We also assessed effects of prenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) on adolescent body size and cardiometabolic risk factors. METHODS: In MINIMat trial (Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions in Matlab; ISRCTN16581394) in rural Bangladesh, pregnant women were randomised in a 2:3 factorial design to early invitation to food supplementation (around gestational week 9), vs standard programme (usual invitation); MMS was compared with folic acid and iron. Of 3267 singletons with valid birth weight, 2300 (70.4%) were measured height and weight, plasma cardiometabolic biomarkers and blood pressure at 15 years, between September 2017 and June 2019. We analysed data by linear and logistic regression, adjusting for sex, age and prenatal confounders. FINDINGS: Adolescents whose mothers received early invitation had 0.08 units higher height z score (95% CI 0.01, 0.16) and less of them were stunted (<-2 SD; 17.4% vs 21.4%, risk difference 4.1%; 95% CI 0.8%, 7.3%; OR 0.77; 0.63, 0.95) than usual invitation group. Early invitation and MMS were unrelated to BMI, plasma cardiometabolic biomarkers or blood pressure. INTERPRETATION: The effect of early prenatal food supplementation on height persists at 15 years. We found no effect of this intervention or MMS on cardiometabolic factors. FUNDING: Swedish Research Council, Finnish Research Council, Finska Läkaresällskapet, Pediatric Research, Novo Nordisk, Gyllenberg and Jusélius Foundations.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.