Conclusion
The evidence base for individual micronutrient effects on
neonatal mortality and morbidity is patchy and often contradictory
and confusing. There is a pressing need for randomized
controlled trials of multiple micronutrient supplementation in
pregnant mothers who have suboptimal nutrition, in which
outcomes for mothers and their infants, both short and long
term, are monitored closely. Balanced micronutrient supplementation
in pregnancy is potentially a highly cost-effective
intervention that could be scaled up rapidly even in the poorest
communities. Good clinical science demands, however, that the
effects of such an intervention be thoroughly and rigorously
evaluated before large-scale programs are established.