FANTA partners Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Tampere conducted a trial in rural Malawi to compare the incidence and prevalence of very severe linear growth failure, symptoms of common childhood illnesses, and timing of developmental milestones among infants receiving dietary supplementation with milk lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS), soy LNS, a corn-soy blend (CSB), or nothing. Healthy infants were randomized into one of four intervention schemes and tracked for 12 months from the age of 6 to 18 months. The results from the study show that, in rural Malawi, 12 months of complementary feeding of infants with milk LNS—but not soy LNS or CSB—reduces the incidence of very severe stunting at 6–18 months of age. The study also showed that supplementation with milk LNS, soy LNS, or CSB did not result in excess morbidity compared to the control group. No difference between the four groups was shown for the timing of acquisition of developmental milestones. The results from this study have been published in the following journals: Maternal and Child Nutrition, the Journal of Nutrition, and Acta Paediatrica. 

Collaborating Organizations: University of Malawi College of Medicine