Nutrition supplement improves growth, bone and muscle health in Indian children at risk of undernutrition: says Study
Mumbai, Aug 19 (TNT):Indian children at risk of undernutrition who received an oral nutritional supplement along with dietary counselling showed significantly improved growth outcomes over six months compared to those receiving dietary counselling alone, Abbott, the global healthcare leader, said citing findings from a randomised controlled trial.
The supplemented group recorded approximately 2.4 times greater height gain and nearly 15 per cent higher lean mass gain over six months compared to the dietary counselling-only group.
The trial involved 223 Indian children aged about 3 to 7 years with picky eating habits who were undernourished or at risk of undernutrition.
Families received dietary counselling, while around half of the children also received two daily servings of PediaSure, an Abbott pediatric oral nutritional supplement.
Researchers assessed growth, dietary intake, body composition and other health indicators at predefined intervals. Body composition and bone health were evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), an imaging-based technique used to measure lean mass, fat mass and bone mineralisation.
Children in the supplemented group showed improvements in height, weight and lean mass without excess fat accumulation based on BMI-for-age and DXA measurements.
DXA also showed a 35 per cent increase in bone mineral density and an increase in bone mineral content, the study found.
The supplemented group also recorded up to four times greater gains in weight-for-age and height-for-age percentiles over six months compared with children who received dietary counselling alone, indicating stronger catch-up growth.
The children receiving the supplement also recorded higher energy, carbohydrate and protein intake at three months, with improvements sustained at six months. Greater improvement was also observed in the mid-upper arm circumference percentile, a marker of nutritional status.
Lead investigator Dr Anuradha Khadilkar, Consultant Pediatrician at Jehangir Clinical Development Center, Pune, said the findings highlighted the importance of addressing undernutrition early through targeted nutrition support.
She said the benefits extended beyond visible growth measures to lean mass and bone health, providing a broader assessment of healthy growth among children at nutritional risk.
Dr Priti Thakor, Director, Medical and Scientific Affairs, Abbott’s nutrition business in India, said the findings added to the evidence that targeted nutritional support could help children at nutritional risk achieve healthy growth.
The study was based on a six-month randomised controlled trial conducted in India among 223 children aged 3 to 6.9 years with picky eating habits who were undernourished or at risk of undernutrition.
The trial was conducted between August 2023 and May 2024 and registered as CTRI/2023/04/051566. Findings from the trial were reported in two peer-reviewed publications, one in Children and another in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
The study noted that childhood undernutrition remains a major public health challenge in India. Citing NFHS-6 (2023-24) data, Abbott said 29.3 per cent of children under five were stunted and 31.8 per cent were underweight nationally.
Abbott said its PediaSure product is supported by more than 20 clinical studies conducted over 30 years and is intended to support children at nutritional risk or those falling behind on growth.
The company clarified that the findings were based on a specific study population and that individual outcomes may vary. Parents and caregivers were advised to consult healthcare professionals regarding their child’s nutritional needs.
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