EFFECT OF LIPID-BASED NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS DURING PREGNANCY ON MATERNAL ANTHROPOMETRY AND HEMATOLOGICAL INDICES; A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Objective: To investigate the effect of using lipid based supplements during pregnancy on body composition, BMI and hematological profile. Material & Methods: A randomized controlled trial was undertaken from 2018 to 2019 to find out the effect of LNS(MAAMTA) on body composition, BMI and hematological findings. Forty underweight primigravidas from different tertiary care hospitals of KPK were randomized into two groups of; Supplement: receiving MAAMTA plus antenatal treatment and Placebo: receiving placebo plus antenatal treatment. They continued taking these (MAAMTA/Placebo) from first antenatal visit till one week postnatal. Fasting blood samples were collected and anthropometric measurements taken at three different time points i.e; baseline visit, 16 weeks of gestation and post natal visit Results: The analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated a statistically significant influence of time on the BMI of participants, with results showing F(2, 68) = 44.8, P < 0.01, and a partial eta squared (?p²) of 0.57. In a similar manner, time had a strong effect on participants’ body weight, F(2, 68) = 36.32, P < 0.01, ?p² = 0.51. Furthermore, the intervention group demonstrated a significant within-group effect of supplementation on weight, F(2, 68) = 3.18, P = 0.048, ?p² = 0.086. For body mass, the within-group analysis revealed a notable effect of supplementation, F(1.37, 46.7) = 3.63, P = 0.050, ?p² = 0.096. A highly significant effect of time on mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) was also evident, F(2, 68) = 9.70, P < 0.001, ?p² = 0.222. However, no notable impact was seen in case of hematological profile. Conclusion: The study revealed a statistically strong association of time with BMI, weight, and MUAC, indicating improvement in anthropometric measures.