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Iron supplements might harm infants who have enough
May 05, 2008A new study suggests that extra iron for infants who don't need it might delay development -- results that fuel the debate over optimal iron supplement levels and could have huge implications for the baby formula and food industry.
"Our results for 25 years of research show problems with lack of iron. For us to find this result is a big deal, it's really unexpected," said Dr. Betsy Lozoff, University of Michigan research professor at the Center for Human Growth and Development, and the study's principal investigator.
U.S. infant formulas typically come fortified with 12 mg/L of iron to prevent iron-deficiency anemia. Europe generally uses a lower amount. In infants, iron-deficiency anemia is associated with poorer development, and during pregnancy it contributes to anemia in mothers, contributing to premature birth, low birth weight and other complications.
"I thought that behavior and development would be better with the 12 mg formula," said Lozoff, also professor of pediatrics in the U-M Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases at the Medical School and C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
The U-M study of 494 Chilean children showed that those who received iron fortified formula in infancy at the 12 mg used in the U.S. lagged behind those who received low-iron formula in cognitive and visual-motor development by age 10 years. Lozoff stressed that most children who received the 12 mg formula did not show lower scores. But the 5 percent of the sample with the highest hemoglobin levels at 6 months showed the poorest outcome. Your body needs iron to make hemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen. High hemoglobin generally indicates sufficient iron.
Adversely affected children scored 11 points lower in IQ and 12 points lower in visual-motor integration, on average; the average overall score on both tests was 100. A similar pattern was observed for spatial memory and other visual-motor measures.
Lozoff noted that not many infants in Chile had high hemoglobin levels at the time since there was no iron-fortification program for infants and that more than 5 percent of U.S. infants might have high hemoglobin levels in early infancy.
In this randomized study, healthy infants without iron-deficiency anemia were given formula with either 12 mg or 2.3 mg iron from 6 to 12 months and followed to 10 years. The next step is to test the participants again at age 16, Lozoff said, who says that no such study has been conducted in the United States or elsewhere.
Iron deficiency occurs because babies grow so quickly they often "grow out" of the amount of iron they are born with. Breast milk is thought to contain the iron a baby needs for 4-6 months, Lozoff said. Other important sources of iron for infants include iron-fortified infant formulas and cereals, iron drops and meat.
Infants are typically not tested for hemoglobin or iron levels before 9-12 months. It would be premature to recommend earlier testing or to avoid supplemental iron based on the study's results, Lozoff said. She expects parents to be concerned, but stressed that results must be reproduced in other studies.
"At this point there's no basis for changing practice, but it's really important that we have continued research on this issue," she said.
University of Michigan
"I thought that behavior and development would be better with the 12 mg formula," said Lozoff, also professor of pediatrics in the U-M Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases at the Medical School and C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
The U-M study of 494 Chilean children showed that those who received iron fortified formula in infancy at the 12 mg used in the U.S. lagged behind those who received low-iron formula in cognitive and visual-motor development by age 10 years. Lozoff stressed that most children who received the 12 mg formula did not show lower scores. But the 5 percent of the sample with the highest hemoglobin levels at 6 months showed the poorest outcome. Your body needs iron to make hemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen. High hemoglobin generally indicates sufficient iron.
Adversely affected children scored 11 points lower in IQ and 12 points lower in visual-motor integration, on average; the average overall score on both tests was 100. A similar pattern was observed for spatial memory and other visual-motor measures.
Lozoff noted that not many infants in Chile had high hemoglobin levels at the time since there was no iron-fortification program for infants and that more than 5 percent of U.S. infants might have high hemoglobin levels in early infancy.
In this randomized study, healthy infants without iron-deficiency anemia were given formula with either 12 mg or 2.3 mg iron from 6 to 12 months and followed to 10 years. The next step is to test the participants again at age 16, Lozoff said, who says that no such study has been conducted in the United States or elsewhere.
Iron deficiency occurs because babies grow so quickly they often "grow out" of the amount of iron they are born with. Breast milk is thought to contain the iron a baby needs for 4-6 months, Lozoff said. Other important sources of iron for infants include iron-fortified infant formulas and cereals, iron drops and meat.
Infants are typically not tested for hemoglobin or iron levels before 9-12 months. It would be premature to recommend earlier testing or to avoid supplemental iron based on the study's results, Lozoff said. She expects parents to be concerned, but stressed that results must be reproduced in other studies.
"At this point there's no basis for changing practice, but it's really important that we have continued research on this issue," she said.
University of Michigan
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute new study on pregnant women & iron
A new study conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), in close collaboration with scientists at the National Institute of Perinatology in Mexico, is the first to show that the current iron supplement recommendation for pregnant women who are not anemic is too high and could lead to birth complications for infants such as premature birth and low birth weight.
A Global Treatment for Iron Deficiency and More: Press Release from PLoS Medicine
Could a simple powdered sachet be the key to addressing the world's commonest preventable nutritional problem? Iron deficiency is the world's most common preventable nutritional problem. It has largely been eradicated from developed countries, but more than 750 million children in the developing world have iron-deficiency anemia. According to an article by researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, published in this month's issue of the open access global health journal PLoS Medicine, a simple sachet called "Sprinkles" could be the key to eradicating this type of anemia. In developing countries, the standard strategy to try and control iron-deficiency
Iron supplement as treatment for anaemia in infants
In Vietnam, nearly 60% (1) of children under two years old suffer from anaemia owing to iron deficiency. This is a disease which affects their growth and psychomotor development and reduces their resistance to infections. The iron deficit stems essentially from a diet poor in the easily assimilated form of this element. Rice broth, traditionally given to children as a supplement to breast-milk, is insufficient to meet their needs in iron, particularly high from 4 to 6 months of age. Daily administration of a supplement is effective for swiftly reducing iron shortfall in individuals with large deficiencies and consequently the anaemia rate in a population. However, it does pose some constrain
Iron supplements may relieve unexplained tiredness in young women
Unexplained tiredness is common in young women. In this week's BMJ, researchers find that non-anaemic women with fatigue may benefit from taking an iron supplement. The study took place in Switzerland and involved 136 women aged 18 to 55 who consulted a doctor with fatigue, but who were not anaemic. They were divided into two groups; one group took a daily iron supplement while the other took a dummy (placebo) pill for four weeks. After one month, the level of fatigue decreased by 29% in the iron group compared with 13% in the placebo group. This is the first trial in women of childbearing age to show that iron supplements could have an effect on fatigue in the absence of anaemia, say the au
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