Synthesized evidence indicates that addition of multiple micronutrients to Fe supplementation may only marginally improve Hb response compared with Fe supplementation alone .
However , addition of ' other micronutrients ' may have a negative effect .
Routine addition of unselected multiple micronutrients to Fe therefore appears unjustified for nutritional anaemia control programmes
OBJECTIVES To study the effect of combining multiple ( two or more ) micronutrients with Fe supplementation on Hb response , when compared with placebo and with Fe supplementation , in children .
Efficacy of multiple micronutrient supplementation for improving anemia, micronutrient status, growth, and morbidity of Peruvian infants.
Anemia , micronutrient deficiencies , and growth faltering are still common in Peru . The study objective was to determine the efficacy of different micronutrient supplements in preventing growth failure , anemia , and  micronutrient deficiencies  in Peruvian infants . Three hundred and thirteen infants aged 6 to 12 mo participated in a double-blind , masked , controlled trial in which they were r and omly assigned to receive either a daily dose of iron ( DI ) , a daily dose of multiple micronutrients ( DMM ) , a weekly dose of multiple micronutrients , or a placebo ( P ) for 6 mo . None of the supplements tested prevented growth faltering or the morbidities common during infancy . Anemia and plasma homocysteine concentrations fell significantly in all groups during the study , but the mean change of plasma homocysteine during the trial period was significantly smaller in the DI group than in other groups , and the increase in hemoglobin concentrations was smaller in the P group than the micronutrient treatment groups . Plasma ferritin concentrations decreased least in the groups taking daily micronutrient supplements containing iron ( DI and DMM ) . There were no significant differences among groups in mean final values or changes in plasma zinc , retinol , tocopherol , or riboflavin . Although the DMM intervention was the most efficacious for preventing anemia , iron , and zinc deficiencies , 15 % , 20 % , and 50 % of this group still remained anemic , zinc deficient , and iron deficient , respectively , at the end of the study . Further research thus should investigate whether higher doses of iron and zinc , together with infection control measures , are more efficacious
Synthesized evidence indicates that addition of multiple micronutrients to Fe supplementation may only marginally improve Hb response compared with Fe supplementation alone .
However , addition of ' other micronutrients ' may have a negative effect .
Routine addition of unselected multiple micronutrients to Fe therefore appears unjustified for nutritional anaemia control programmes
OBJECTIVES To study the effect of combining multiple ( two or more ) micronutrients with Fe supplementation on Hb response , when compared with placebo and with Fe supplementation , in children .