Analysis of nutrition clinical studies involving children in the Middle East and globally

AIM: To assess pediatric clinical nutrition research by analyzing clinical studies in the Middle East (ME) and globally. METHODS: Using ClinicalTrials.gov, the numbers of clinical studies in the ME and globally were analyzed. RESULTS: The majority of clinical nutrition trials are in North America and Europe. The ME accounts for 4% of all nutrition trials. The majority of pediatric nutrition studies in the ME are in the later phases or are observational and/or epidemiological studies with a focus on poor nutrition or nutrition disorders. Industry funding in the ME is mostly by regional or local companies; few major global companies are involved. CONCLUSION: The ME is not well represented in clinical nutrition studies involving children. Effort should be expended to rectify this.