To assess the impact of nutritional and multiple-micronutrient supplementation to lactating mothers on the micronutrient status of mother–infant dyad at 6 months of age postnatally.

This study was a trial that aimed to investigate the impact of maternal nutritional supplementation on infant growth. A secondary objective was to assess the effect on the micronutrient status of mother–infant pairs. The intervention group mothers received snacks with 600 kcal energy, 20 g protein and daily micronutrient tablets.

Blood samples were collected from both mothers and infants at 6 months.

The participants in this study were mother–infant pairs. The micronutrient status of these pairs was assessed through blood samples, focusing on vitamins A, D, B12, ferritin, Zn and folate.

Micronutrient analysis of serum samples from 600 mother–infant pairs showed that mothers in the intervention group had higher levels of serum ferritin (mean difference (MD) 14·7 ng/ml), retinol (MD 0·6 μmol/l), folate (MD 3·3 ng/ml) and vitamin D (1·03 ng/ml) at 6 months postpartum. Additionally, the supplementation was associated with a higher mean ± sd of serum ferritin (MD 8·9 ng/ml) and vitamin A (MD 0·2 μmol/l) levels in infants at 6 months.

The study found that supplementing maternal nutrition with additional dietary and micronutrient intakes during lactation improved maternal micronutrient status and slightly increased ferritin and vitamin A levels in infants at 6 months. The findings highlight the importance of nutritional interventions for improving the micronutrient health of mother–infant pairs, with significant public health implications.

Trial registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (CTRI/2018/04/013095).