An efficacy study on alleviating micronutrient deficiencies through a multiple micronutrient fortified salt in children in South India

Background: Multiple micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent in India. Objective: The study aims to establish the efficacy of multi-micronutrient fortified salt in addressing multiple micronutrient deficiencies among children compared to nutrition education and no intervention in Tamilnadu. Methods: The study employed a community based randomized controlled trial designed to study the impact of multiple micronutrient salt (micronutrient group) in comparison with nutrition education (education group) and no intervention (control group) on haemoglobin, serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, body iron stores, serum retinol and urinary iodine outcomes over a period of 8 months. The fortified salt contained iron, iodine, vitamin A, vitamin B-12 and folic acid. All the children were dewormed at baseline and at the end of the study just before the biochemical measurements. Results: There was a significant improvement in most biochemical parameters studied in the micronutrient group when compared with the control group whereas this was not seen between the education and control. Over 8 months, in the micronutrient group, hemoglobin increased by 0.52 g/dL, retinol by 8.56 mu g/dL, ferritin by 10.8 mu g/L, body iron stores by 1.27 mg and the decrease in the prevalence of retinol deficiency was from 51.6% to 28.1%, anaemia from 46.0% to 32.6%, iron deficiency from 66.9% to 51.3% and iron deficiency anaemia from 35.2% to 31.0%, while the prevalence of all these deficiencies increased or the changes were not significant in the other two groups. Conclusions: Multiple micronutrient fortified salt was able to improve iron and vitamin A status, whereas this was not seen in the nutrition education group.