Animal Source Food Supplement and Pregnancy in Vietnam

It has been known for over 80 years that maternal starvation reduces fetal growth and
increases neonatal infections. Many different nutrition programs have been targeted to
pregnant women to improve pregnancy outcomes. The impact of these programs has been
disappointing, and the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) and infant mortality remains
high, especially in developing countries. More recently, as a result of improved access to
cereals following the 'green revolution,' nutritional concerns shifted from protein and
energy to micronutrient deficiencies, especially those micronutrients in animal-source foods
(ASFs)—iron, zinc, vitamins A and B12. Diets of pregnant women are usually limited to rice
and a few vegetables, and they lack key nutrients known to reduce preterm delivery, to
support fetal growth, and to prevent infections that leads to early neonatal deaths.
Vietnam has a well-established farm system that supports the local production of fish, pork,
poultry, and eggs. This provides an opportunity to evaluate the impact of a food-based,
micronutrient-rich supplement on pregnancy outcome in high-risk, rural Vietnamese women.
Since maternal nutritional status at conception is strongly linked to pregnancy outcomes, we
will compare the effect of consuming a micronutrient-rich, animal-source food (ASF)
supplement from pre-conception to term with a supplement from mid-gestation to term or
routine prenatal care on infant birth weight, prematurity rate, and infant growth during the
first 6 months of life. This study will be the first to compare a food-based,
micronutrient-rich supplement consumed prior to conception to term with one given only
during pregnancy. Although it is recognized by many that pregnancy may be too narrow a
window to improve maternal nutritional health, it is typical for micronutrient supplements
to only be given from the time of enrolling for prenatal care to term. The results of our
study, therefore, will have world-wide implications regarding when maternal supplementation
should be given to have the greatest impact on pregnancy outcome.