Oral zinc supplementation in pregnant women and its effect on birth weight: a randomised controlled trial

Pakistan lies in a zinc deficient area where oral zinc supplementation has been advocated for various reasons. A double blind, randomised case-control study was carried out on pregnant women to evaluate the effects of oral zinc supplementation on the weights of newborns. No significant difference was found in the birth weights between the cases supplemented with 20 mg elemental zinc and controls receiving oral placebos (p=0.57).