Supplemental vitamin A improves anemia and growth in anemic school children in Tanzania

We conducted a randomized controlled trial of the effects of dietary supple ments on anemia, weight and height in 136 anemic school children from a low socioeconomic background in Bagamoyo District schools in Tanzania. The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of dietary supplements on anemia and anthropometric indices of anemic school children. The supplem ents were vitamin A alone, iron and vitamin A, iron alone or placebo, admin istered in a double-blinded design for 3 mo. All supplements were provided with local corn meals. Hemoglobin concentration, body weight and height wer e measured at baseline and at follow-up after supplementation. Vitamin A su pplementation increased the mean hemoglobin concentration by 13.5 g/L compa red with 3.5 g/L for placebo (P < 0.0001, 95% confidence interval (CI) 6.19 -13.57), the mean body weight by 0.6 kg compared with 0.2 kg for placebo (P < 0.0001, 95% CI 0.19-0.65) and the mean height by 0.4 cm compared with 0. 1 cm for placebo (P = 0.0009, 95% CI 0.08-0.42). However, the group of chil dren who received combined vitamin A and iron supplementation had the great est improvements in all indicators compared with placebo (18.5 g/L, P < 0.0 001, 95% CI 14.81-22.23; 0.7 kg, P < 0.0001, 95% CI 0.43-0.88 and 0.4 cm, P < 0.0001, 95% CI 0.22-0.56 for hemoglobin, weight and height, respectively ). It is likely that vitamin A supplementation may have a useful role in co mbating the problems of vitamin A deficiency and anemia, as well as in impr oving children's growth, in developing countries.