Prenatal multiple micronutrient-fortified balanced energy-protein supplementation and newborn telomere length and mitochondrial DNA content: a randomized controlled efficacy trial in rural Burkina Faso

Abstract

BackgroundEvidence regarding the effectiveness of prenatal nutritional supplements has mainly considered anthropometric pregnancy outcomes. The effect on markers of health and disease, such as offspring telomere length (TL) and mitochondrial DNA content (mtDNAc) is unknown.ObjectivesWe assessed the efficacy of maternal multiple micronutrient (MMN)-fortified balanced-energy protein (BEP) and iron-folic acid (IFA) supplementation on newborn TL as a secondary outcome and mtDNAc as a non-declared outcome.DesignWe conducted a randomized controlled trial in rural Burkina Faso, among pregnant females (15-40 years old) enrolled at <21 weeks of gestation. Mothers received either MMN-fortified BEP and IFA (intervention) or IFA only (control) throughout pregnancy. Whole arterial blood samples were collected from the umbilical cord of 104 control and 90 intervention group infants, respectively. Average relative TL and mtDNAc were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Linear regression models were fitted to assess TL and mtDNAc differences across trial arms.ResultsWe found that a combined daily MMN-fortified BEP supplement and IFA tablet did not affect newborn TL [β = -0.010 (95% CI: -0.057, 0.036);P= 0.662] or mtDNAc [β = 0.065 (95% CI: -0.203, 0.073);P= 0.354], as compared to an IFA tablet alone. These findings were confirmed (P>0.05) by adjusting the regression models for potential prognostic factors of study outcomes at enrollment. Exploratory analyses indicated higher, but non-significantly different mtDNAc among children born either small-for-gestational age, low birthweight, or preterm.ConclusionsNewborns from mothers who received daily nutritional supplements across gestation did not have different relative TL or mtDNAc.

Prenatal ochratoxin A exposure, birth outcomes and infant growth in rural Burkina Faso: a human biomonitoring sub-study from the MISAME-III trial

“…The objective of the BioSpé research was to examine the impact of a multi-micronutrient enriched BEP supplement on pregnant individuals and their infants, aiming to assess the physiological effects of the supplementation on maternal health, infant birth and growth outcomes. This evaluation was conducted through comprehensive multi-omics analyses, human biomonitoring of contaminants and assessment of biological aging markers (Bastos-Moreira et al, 2023; Hanley-Cook et al, 2023). In the present study, we report the associations between maternal exposure to mycotoxins during pregnancy and various growth and nutritional status outcomes at birth and during infancy.…”

A Multi-Omics and Human Biomonitoring Approach to Assessing the Effectiveness of Fortified Balanced Energy–Protein Supplementation on Maternal and Newborn Health in Burkina Faso: A Study Protocol

“…In the scope of this study, the efficacy of a prenatal BEP supplement and an IFA tablet on newborn relative TL and mtDNAc were compared to the efficacy of IFA alone, and differences in relative TL and mtDNAc across adverse birth outcomes (i.e., SGA, LBW or preterm births) were measured via a real-time PCR method, using whole arterial blood collected from the umbilical cord [68][69][70][71][72] (Cawthon, 2002(Cawthon, , 2009Janssen et al, 2012;Martens et al, 2016Martens et al, , 2020 The results of the effect of the fortified BEP supplementation on the newborn genome were reported in a separate manuscript [14] (Hanley-Cook et al, no date).…”

“…These results have been published [11][12][13] The secondary and exploratory biological outcomes of the prenatal BEP intervention were maternal and newborn body compositions and newborn relative telomere length (TL), with mitochondrial DNA content (mtDNAc) a non-declared outcome that was con-sidered relevant for the trial at the time at which the samples were analyzed. The former has been published [12] (Argaw, Toe, et al, 2023), and the latter is under review [14] (Hanley-Cook et al, no date).…”