The Claim

Maternal balanced energy and protein supplementation during pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries increases infant birth weight by an average of 107.28 grams and reduces the incidence of low birth weight by 40%.

Source: Effects of nutritional interventions during pregnancy on birth, child health and development outcomes: A systematic review of evidence from low‐ and middle‐income countries

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
33score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Cause and effect
1 study reviewed
In plain English

Giving pregnant women in developing countries a balanced supplement with extra energy and protein helps their babies be born heavier and lowers the chance of the baby being born too small.

See the scientific wording

Maternal balanced energy protein supplementation during pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries is likely to increase infant birth weight by an average of 107.28 grams (mean difference 107.28g, 95% CI 68.51–146.04) and reduce the incidence of low birth weight by 40% (risk ratio 0.60, 95% CI 0.41–0.86), based on eight trials encompassing 2,190 participants. These clinically significant improvements suggest that targeted macronutrient supplementation can effectively counteract fetal growth restriction in resource-limited settings.

What the research says

1 study
  1. Study: Effects of nutritional interventions during pregnancy on birth, child health and development outcomes: A systematic review of evidence from low‐ and middle‐income countries

    This large review of studies in developing countries found that giving pregnant women extra protein and energy supplements helped babies be born heavier and reduced the chance of them being underweight at birth by 40%.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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