Abbott has announced findings from a randomized controlled trial showing that Indian children at risk of undernutrition experienced significantly improved growth outcomes when an oral nutritional supplement was provided alongside dietary counselling.

The six-month study, published in the journals Children and Journal of Clinical Medicine, involved 223 Indian children aged around 3 to 7 years with picky eating habits who were either undernourished or at risk of undernutrition.

Families participating in the study received dietary counselling, while approximately half of the children additionally received two daily servings of PediaSure, Abbott’s pediatric oral nutritional supplement. Researchers evaluated growth, dietary intake, body composition and other health indicators at predefined intervals.

According to the findings, children receiving the nutritional supplement recorded approximately 2.4 times greater height gain and nearly 15% higher lean mass over six months compared with children who received dietary counselling alone.

The supplemented group also demonstrated improvements in height, weight and lean mass without excess fat accumulation based on BMI-for-age and DXA measurements. DXA assessments indicated a 35% increase in bone mineral density, along with improvements in bone mineral content.

The study also reported stronger catch-up growth. Children receiving supplementation showed up to four times greater gains in weight-for-age and height-for-age percentiles over six months compared with those receiving dietary counselling alone.

In addition, supplemented children recorded higher energy, carbohydrate and protein intake at three months, with improvements sustained at six months. Greater gains were also observed in mid-upper arm circumference percentile, an indicator of nutritional status.

“This research highlights the importance of addressing undernutrition early with targeted nutrition support,” said Dr. Anuradha Khadilkar, Consultant Pediatrician, Jehangir Clinical Development Center Pvt. Ltd., Pune, and lead investigator of the study.

She added that the findings were significant because the benefits extended beyond visible growth measures to include lean mass and bone health, providing a broader assessment of healthy growth among children at nutritional risk.

Dr. Priti Thakor, Director, Medical & Scientific Affairs, Abbott’s nutrition business in India, said the study adds to evidence that targeted nutritional support can help children at nutritional risk achieve healthier growth.