Malnutrition during pregnancy correlation with maternal mortality, neonatal deaths, and pregnancy outcomes. The consequences of malnutrition during pregnancy will affect the short-term and long-term health of the mother and infants. Maternal zinc deficiency during gestation may contribute to impaired immune function, including a reduced antibody response (Shankar, AV et al, 2009). Nutritional supplementation is an attractive, non-invasive means enhancing and optimizing important physiological functions, including the immune system. In addition to probiotics from dadih, intervention trials have demonstrated that supplementation with zinc can also enhance the immune response. However, the effect of dadih and zinc supplementation during pregnancy on humoral immune response and birth weight of infants is unknown.

We propose to perform a randomized controlled trial, to assess the effect of dadih and zinc supplementation during pregnancy on humoral immunity and birth weight of infants in West Sumatra Province. A total of 180 pregnant mothers start the two trimester will randomly assigned three groups that will be followed as long as six month post intervention. The main outcome measure will be fecal secretory IgA (sIgA) will assessed by ELISA kit at Biomedical Laboratory Faculty of Medicine Andalas University Padang. Anthropometry will include measurement of weight gain, height, mid arm circumference of pregnant mothers and the anthropometrics’ status of infants (weight, recumbent length) by trained staff using standard methods.

All pregnant mother will enrollment at the baseline and randomly assigned consecutively into three groups: dadih (DG), combination dadih and zinc (DZG) and control (CG). The mothers on dadih group will took a cup containing 100 gram dadih addition flavor six times a week for six month. Every mother in combining dadih and zinc group will get a cup 100 gram dadih six times a week and one packed zinc tablet weekly and they have to consume it at 07-11 in the morning 20 mg daily for six month of intervention. After six month of intervention, fecal sIgA and birth weight will be compared between the treatment and control groups. We expect also to follow-up the infants postnatal until six month and monitor impact of the intervention on anthropometrics and morbidity of infants.