what they said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

Multivitamins may help babies reach a normal birth weight, according to researchers who say all pregnant women in developing countries should receive the supplements.

Most babies of low birth weight, defined as less than 5.5 pounds, are born in developing countries. They face an increased risk of early death, poor growth and learning disabilities.

For the study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 8,468 pregnant women who were free of HIV received iron and folic acid supplements, proven prenatal treatments. Half also received supplements containing vitamins C, E and a mix of B vitamins, while the rest got placebos.

The original article can be found at: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/04/04/vitamins-birth-weight.html

how did it rate? (more information)

what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

This article is making the claim that "multivitamins may help babies reach a normal birth weight" and therefore "all pregnant women in developing countries should receive the supplements."

The therapeutic effects of multivitamins may be widely known, however, this article provides some solid research evidence around the extent of the benefits in Tanzanian women.

It does clearly state the novelty and cost of this treatment as well as other prenatal treatments, however, the extent of the benefits and harms should be understood before jumping to bulk production of these supplements.

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