Low-Dose Iron Supplementation in Infancy Modestly Increases Infant Iron Status at 9 Mo without Decreasing Growth or Increasing Illness in a Randomized Clinical Trial in Rural China

Abstract

Iron supplementation in Chinese infants reduced ID at 9 mo without adverse effects on growth or illness. Effects of iron supplementation in pregnancy were observed only when higher amounts of iron were distributed in infancy. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00613717.

Iron Supplementation in Pregnancy or Infancy and Motor Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Neonatal iron status was generally poor, as indicated by cord ferritin levels <75 μg/L or zinc protoporphyrin/heme ratio >118 μmol/mol in >40%. In keeping with hematology findings in the infancy RCT, 18 iron status was worse in the groups that did not receive iron supplementation in infancy. Nonetheless, ID remained common: 59% in groups receiving iron in infancy (placebo/iron and iron/iron) versus 69% in infancy placebo groups (iron/placebo and placebo/placebo) (P < .001).…”

“…48 The likely explanation for the limited reduction in prevalence of ID was a combination of poor iron status at birth, high iron needs for growth, and insufficient supplemental iron intake. 18 Furthermore, the magnitude of the effects we observed might not generalize to other populations. For instance, effects might be stronger in samples with a greater reduction in ID with iron supplementation.…”

“…Pregnancy iron supplementation reduced iron deficiency (ID) and iron-deficiency anemia in mothers but had little impact on fetal neonatal iron status 17 ; infancy iron supplementation reduced ID at 9 months, with no added benefit of pregnancy iron supplementation. 18 There were no adverse effects of iron supplementation on infant health or growth overall or among infants who were iron-sufficient at birth. We report here the effects on gross motor development, neurologic integrity, and quality of motor behavior at 9 months.…”

“…17 Infants received a single daily dose of ∼1 mg/kg of elemental iron as an iron protein succinylate oral solution (Ferplex, Italfarmico, S.A., Madrid, Spain) or carrier (placebo) from 6 weeks to 9 months. 18 …”

Breastfeeding, Mixed, or Formula Feeding at 9 Months of Age and the Prevalence of Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia in Two Cohorts of Infants in China

“…For the Hebei cohort, infants in Sanhe County were invited to participate in a randomized controlled trial of iron supplementation 30 if their mothers had participated in a Peking University First Hospital randomized controlled trial of iron supplementation in pregnancy. 31 Enrollment in the infancy study occurred between December 2009 and June 2012.…”