This study estimated the impact of prenatal supplementation with iron and folic acid (IFA), multiple micronutrients (MMS), or calcium at 50%, 75%, or 90% coverage on future non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by age and sex. Results showed that globally, more than 51,000 NCD deaths, 6 million cases of hypertension, and 3 million cases of diabetes could be prevented per offspring birth cohort if mothers were prenatally supplemented with MMS at 90% coverage. For IFA these numbers would be roughly half. Calcium supplementation at 90% could delay 51,000 deaths per birth cohort. This study suggests that substantial numbers of NCD deaths and cases of hypertension and diabetes could be prevented in future generations by scaling up micronutrient supplementation for mothers during pregnancy.
