Iron, Folic Acid and Zinc: study protocols
31 study groups took Iron together with Folic Acid and Zinc. These are the doses the studies gave. They are not a recommendation.
Dose per serving from research: Iron
31 study groups in 24 studies say how much Iron participants took a day.
These are the doses the studies gave. They are not a recommendation.
Most common: 25 mg to 50 mg, 35% of 31 study groups.
| Daily dose | Study groups |
|---|---|
| 5 mg or less | 1 |
| 5 mg to 10 mg | 4 |
| 10 mg to 25 mg | 8 |
| 25 mg to 50 mg | 11 |
| 50 mg to 100 mg | 7 |
Dose per serving from research: Folic Acid
28 study groups in 22 studies say how much Folic Acid participants took a day.
These are the doses the studies gave. They are not a recommendation.
Most common: 250 mcg to 500 mcg, 50% of 28 study groups.
| Daily dose | Study groups |
|---|---|
| 100 mcg or less | 1 |
| 100 mcg to 250 mcg | 11 |
| 250 mcg to 500 mcg | 14 |
| 500 mcg to 1 mg | 2 |
Dose per serving from research: Zinc
29 study groups in 23 studies say how much Zinc participants took a day.
These are the doses the studies gave. They are not a recommendation.
Most common: 10 mg to 25 mg, 38% of 29 study groups.
| Daily dose | Study groups |
|---|---|
| 2.5 mg or less | 1 |
| 2.5 mg to 5 mg | 6 |
| 5 mg to 10 mg | 4 |
| 10 mg to 25 mg | 11 |
| 25 mg to 50 mg | 7 |
Commonly used together
25 of 31 study groups took Iron, Folic Acid and Zinc with something else. Shown: what 3 or more different studies gave. The 10 most common of 12.
What was given together, not what works together.
| Taken with | Study groups |
|---|---|
| Vitamin A | 21 |
| Vitamin C | 16 |
| Iodine | 14 |
| Copper | 13 |
| Selenium | 13 |
| Vitamin D | 12 |
| Vitamin E | 12 |
| Vitamin B12 | 11 |
| Niacin | 10 |
| Vitamin B6 | 10 |
31 study groups
| Study | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effect of prenatal zinc supplementation on birthweight 2009 · Iron-zinc group · Pregnant women recruited by 16 weeks’ gestation in Ghana; age range 16–44 years; no stated diagnosed condition, with women taking other zinc supplements or with severe anaemia excluded. | 20 mg | 200 mcg | 20 mg | — | 299 |
| Impact of micronutrient supplementation during pregnancy on birth weight, duration of gestation, and perinatal mortality in rural western China: double blind cluster randomised controlled trial 2008 · Multiple micronutrients · Pregnant women resident in disadvantaged rural counties in Shaanxi Province, China; eligible women enrolled before 28 weeks’ gestation | 30 mg | 400 mcg | 15 mg | — | 1,899 |
| Equity in adherence to and effect of prenatal food and micronutrient supplementation on child mortality: results from the MINIMat randomized trial, Bangladesh 2014 · EMMS (early food invitation; multiple micronutrients) · Pregnant women in rural Bangladesh, enrolled before 14 weeks’ gestation | 30 mg | 400 mcg | 15 mg | — | — |
| Equity in adherence to and effect of prenatal food and micronutrient supplementation on child mortality: results from the MINIMat randomized trial, Bangladesh 2014 · UMMS (usual food invitation; multiple micronutrients) · Pregnant women in rural Bangladesh, enrolled before 14 weeks’ gestation | 30 mg | 400 mcg | 15 mg | — | — |
| Effects of maternal micronutrient supplementation on fetal loss and infant mortality: a cluster-randomized trial in Nepal 2003 · Folic acid + iron + zinc · Pregnant women in rural Nepal | 60 mg | 400 mcg | 30 mg | — | — |
| Predictors of adherence to micronutrient supplementation before and during pregnancy in Vietnam 2017 · MM (multiple micronutrients) preconception group · Women of reproductive age in Vietnam intending to become pregnant | 8.57 mg | 400 mcg | 2.14 mg | 54 weeks | 1,469 |
| Assessing the adherence and acceptability to iron and folic acid compared with multiple micronutrient supplements during pregnancy: a cluster-randomized noninferiority trial in Cambodia 2025 · MMS-180 · Healthy pregnant individuals aged 18–45 years, in the first 14 weeks of a low-risk singleton pregnancy | 30 mg | 400 mcg | 15 mg | 180 days | 516 |
| Assessing the adherence and acceptability to iron and folic acid compared with multiple micronutrient supplements during pregnancy: a cluster-randomized noninferiority trial in Cambodia 2025 · MMS-90 · Healthy pregnant individuals aged 18–45 years, in the first 14 weeks of a low-risk singleton pregnancy | 30 mg | 400 mcg | 15 mg | 180 days | 515 |
| Combined iron and folic acid supplementation with or without zinc reduces time to walking unassisted among Zanzibari infants 5- to 11-mo old 2006 · iron+folic acid+zinc (FeFA+Zn) · Children aged 5–11 months at the start of supplementation, nutritionally at risk, in Pemba, Zanzibar | 12.5 mg | 50 mcg | 10 mg | 1 year | — |
| Maternal zinc supplementation reduces diarrheal morbidity in peruvian infants 2010 · zinc · Pregnant women in a periurban slum of Lima, Peru | 60 mg | 250 mcg | 15 mg | — | — |