Keith P. West, Abu Ahmed Shamim, Sucheta Mehra, Alain Labrique et al.
<h3>Importance</h3> Maternal micronutrient deficiencies may adversely affect fetal and infant health, yet there is insufficient evidence of effects on these outcomes to guide antenatal micronutrient supplementation in South Asia. <h3>Objective</h3> To assess effects of antenatal multiple micronutrie...
Keith P. West, Parul Christian, Alain Labrique, Mahbubur Rashid et al.
CONTEXT: Maternal vitamin A deficiency is a public health concern in the developing world. Its prevention may improve maternal and infant survival. OBJECTIVE: To assess efficacy of maternal vitamin A or beta carotene supplementation in reducing pregnancy-related and infant mortality. DESIGN, SETTING...
Kerry Schulze, Sucheta Mehra, Saijuddin Shaikh, Hasmot Ali et al.
BACKGROUND: Antenatal multiple micronutrient (MM) supplementation improves birth outcomes relative to iron-folic acid (IFA) in developing countries, but limited data exist on its impact on pregnancy micronutrient status. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the efficacy of a daily MM (15 nutrients) compared with ...
Rebecca D. Merrill, Abu Ahmed Shamim, Hasmot Ali, Nusrat Jahan et al.
Women of reproductive age are at a high risk of iron deficiency, often as a result of diets low in bioavailable iron. In some settings, the iron content of domestic groundwater sources is high, yet its contribution to iron intake and status has not been examined. In a rural Bangladeshi population of...
Alain Labrique, Parul Christian, Rolf Klemm, Mahbubur Rashid et al.
BACKGROUND: We present the design, methods and population characteristics of a large community trial that assessed the efficacy of a weekly supplement containing vitamin A or beta-carotene, at recommended dietary levels, in reducing maternal mortality from early gestation through 12 weeks postpartum...
Rebecca D. Merrill, Abu Ahmed Shamim, Hasmot Ali, Alain Labrique et al.
Iron deficiency was absent in a recent population assessment of rural Bangladeshi women exhibiting anemia (57%), suggesting other causes of low hemoglobin. We assessed the relative influence on anemia of thalassemia, groundwater arsenic and iron, and diet among women of reproductive age living in ru...
Abu Ahmed Shamim, Kerry Schulze, Rebecca D. Merrill, Alamgir Kabir et al.
Background Tocopherols were discovered for their role in animal reproduction, but little is known about the contribution of deficiencies of vitamin E to human pregnancy loss. Objective We sought to determine whether higher first-trimester concentrations of α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol were associat...
Rebecca K. Campbell, Kerry Schulze, Saijuddin Shaikh, Sucheta Mehra et al.
OBJECTIVES: Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) may inhibit growth and development in low- and middle-income countries, but available assessment methodologies limit its study. In rural Bangladesh, we measured EED using the widely used lactulose mannitol ratio (L:M) test and a panel of intestinal...
K. Ryan Wessells, Charles D. Arnold, Christine P. Stewart, Elizabeth L. Prado et al.
BACKGROUND: Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNSs) have been shown to reduce the prevalence of child anemia and iron deficiency, but effects on other micronutrients are less well known. Identifying subgroups who benefit most from SQ-LNSs could support improved program design. OBJE...
Alison D. Gernand, Parul Christian, Rina Rani Paul, Saijuddin Shaikh et al.
Placental growth is a strong predictor of fetal growth, but little is known about maternal predictors of placental growth in malnourished populations. Our objective was to investigate in a prospective study the associations of maternal weight and body composition [total body water (TBW) estimated by...
Kerry Schulze, Parul Christian, Ingo Ruczinski, Amanda L. Ray et al.
Although hepcidin, a recently discovered peptide hormone, is considered a major regulator of iron metabolism and anemia in chronic inflammation, its role in anemia during pregnancy has not been characterized. Our objective was to characterize the role of hepcidin in anemia during pregnancy. We exami...
Benjamin McCormick, Laura E. Murray‐Kolb, Gwenyth O. Lee, Kerry Schulze et al.
BACKGROUND: Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is thought to increase the risk of micronutrient deficiencies, but few studies adjust for dietary intakes and systemic inflammation. OBJECTIVE: We tested whether EED is associated with micronutrient deficiency risk independent of diet and systemic ...
Abu Ahmed Shamim, Alamgir Kabir, Rebecca D. Merrill, Hasmot Ali et al.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the current analysis was to explore the association of multiple micronutrients with Hb concentration among pregnant women in a South Asian setting, a topic that has not been adequately explored. DESIGN: Sociodemographic, anthropometric and micronutrient status (plasma fer...
Christopher D. Heaney, Brittany Kmush, Ana Navas‐Acién, Kevin A. Francesconi et al.
Background Arsenic has immunomodulatory properties and may have the potential to alter susceptibility to infection in humans. Objectives We aimed to assess the relation of arsenic exposure during pregnancy with immune function and hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection, defined as seroconversion during p...
Rebecca D. Merrill, Alain Labrique, Abu Ahmed Shamim, Kerry Schulze et al.
Over the past 30 years, tubewells have become a ubiquitous source of potable groundwater in South Asia. Considered safer than surface water, groundwater naturally contains minerals that may impact human health; however, few data exist on tubewell water mineral content or its association with human n...