In a recent study focused on maternal health, researchers explored the impact of daily multivitamin intake on gestational weight gain (GWG) and birth outcomes. The provision of multivitamins to pregnant women was found to improve GWG. GWG is a crucial factor that can influence birth outcomes, with inadequate or excessive weight gain posing risks. Previous research has indicated that providing pregnant women with multiple micronutrient supplements can reduce the likelihood of low birth weight.

But, the effect of such supplements on GWG had not been thoroughly examined. Hence, the study aimed to address the gap in knowledge regarding the relationship between multiple micronutrient supplements and GWG. The study enrolled pregnant women with gestational ages between 12 and 27 weeks and randomly assigned them to either receive daily multivitamins or a placebo until delivery. At the commencement of the study and during subsequent check-ins, the weights of the recruited subjects were recorded.

The assessment of GWG involved determining the percentage of recommended GWG by dividing the actual GWG by the guidelines outlined by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The study categorized GWG into distinct outcomes. The research encompassed 7573 women who were carrying single pregnancies. To analyze the relationship between multivitamin supplementation and GWG percentage, multiple linear regression models were employed.

Furthermore, binary outcomes were assessed using log-binomial models. Results from the study demonstrated that pregnant women who received multivitamin supplementation exhibited improved GWG outcomes compared to those who received a placebo, as illustrated in Table 1:

This translated to a statistically significant mean difference of 2.3% (95% CI: 0.3%, 4.2%), indicating the positive impact of multivitamins on GWG. Additionally, the study examined binary outcomes related to GWG, categorizing it as severely inadequate (<70%), inadequate (<90%), or excessive (≥125%). The results indicated that women who received multivitamin supplementation had a reduced risk of severely inadequate GWG (RR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.83, 0.97) and inadequate GWG (RR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.91, 0.99) compared to those in the placebo group. However, no vital difference was witnessed in terms of excessive GWG.

In conclusion, the study's findings highlighted the positive influence of multivitamin supplementation on GWG among pregnant women. These results, coupled with previous evidence showcasing the benefits of such supplements for birth outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, suggest that incorporating multivitamins alongside iron and folic acid in prenatal supplements could be a beneficial strategy for improving maternal and neonatal health. As a result, these findings support the expansion of prenatal supplement programs to incorporate a comprehensive array of essential nutrients for expectant mothers.