Randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of a soybean-maize-sorghum-based ready-to-use complementary food paste on infant growth in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.

BACKGROUND

Evidence of the effectiveness of lipid-based ready-to-use complementary foods (RUCF) at improving linear growth among infants aged 6-12 mo is scarce, and further work is warranted.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to assess the effectiveness of a fortified soybean-maize-sorghum RUCF paste compared with a fortified corn soy blend (UNIMIX) porridge on the prevalence of underweight and stunting among infants in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

DESIGN

Infants were randomly assigned at 6 mo of age to receive either RUCF (n = 691) or UNIMIX (n = 692) for 6 mo. In addition to admission and monthly anthropometric measurements, hemoglobin, triglyceride, and cholesterol were measured at enrollment and at the end of the study.

RESULTS

No significant differences in the prevalence of stunting (RUCF: 48.6%; UNIMIX: 46.4%; P = 0.31), the prevalence of underweight (RUCF: 20.4%; UNIMIX: 18.2%; P = 0.42), or weight gain (RUCF: 1.2 ± 0.7 kg; UNIMIX: 1.3 ± 0.7 kg; P = 0.08) were found. A small but statistically significant difference in length gain (RUCF: 5.2 ± 2.0; UNIMIX: 5.4 ± 2.0; P = 0.03) was found. No significant differences in the concentrations of hemoglobin, serum triglyceride, and serum cholesterol were found between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSION

No significant differences were found between the RUCF and UNIMIX in the reduction of the prevalence of stunting and underweight at 12 mo of age among rural Congolese infants. This trial was registered at controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN20267635.