Evidence for Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS)
Read the research that shows multiple micronutrient supplements provide the foundation for millions of pregnant women and their babies to live healthier lives.
More than 20 years of evidence show that multiple micronutrient supplement provide the foundation for millions of pregnant women and their babies to live better, healthier lives.
The WHO/UNICEF formulation of MMS (known as UNIMMAP) contains 15 essential vitamins and minerals, including iron and folic acid. One dose per day leads to healthier pregnancies for women and significantly improves birth outcomes for her baby.
In countries where 1 in 3 women suffer from anemia, UNIMMAP MMS offers even more benefits. For pregnant women with anemia, taking UNIMMAP MMS reduces the risk of newborn death by 29% and decreases the chances of babies being born underweight by 19%, stunted by 8%, or stillborn by 21%.
And for mothers who are underweight, UNIMMAP MMS decreases the risk of premature birth by 16%.
Research shows that when pregnant women take UNIMMAP MMS with 30mg of iron, they are just as protected against maternal anemia and infant mortality as those taking IFA with 60mg of iron.
For more MMS research and evidence, visit the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Knowledge Hub.
Sources:
UNICEF. (January 2022). UNICEF Programming Guidance. Maternal Nutrition: Prevention of malnutrition in women before and during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
Smith et al. (2017). Modifiers of the effect of maternal multiple micronutrient supplementation on stillbirth, birth outcomes, and infant mortality: a meta-analysis of individual patient data from 17 randomised trials in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet Global Health.
Gomes, F., Black, R., Christian, P., et al. (2022). Multiple micronutrient supplements versus iron-folic acid supplements and maternal anemia outcomes: an iron dose analysis. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Gomes, F., Black, R., Christian, P., et al. (2022). Effect of multiple micronutrient supplements vs iron and folic acid supplements on neonatal mortality: a reanalysis by iron dose. Public Health Nutrition. Add Row