The Age at which Meat is First Included in the Diet Affects the Incidence of Iron Deficiency and Ferropenic Anaemia in a Group of Pre-school Children from Madrid

Abstract

A study was made into the effect of the age at which meat was first included in the diet on a series of haematological parameters and biochemical indicators of iron status in 94 pre-school children (aged 2-6 years) from Madrid (Spain). Those children who first took meat during their eighth month of life or earlier (Group A) showed better iron status that did those who were introduced to meat later (Group B). Significant differences were found in hemoglobin levels (P < 0.01), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) (P < 0.05), serum ferritin (P < 0.05), transferrin levels (P < 0.05) and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) (P < 0.001). Some 13.8% of all subjects showed iron deficiency and 5.3% showed ferropenic anaemia. These latter subjects were the last to have meat included in their diets (9.3 +/- 1.2 months compared to 7.4 +/- 2.0 months in those without ferropenic anaemia) (P < 0.05). It would appear that the age at which meat is included in the diet has an important effect on iron status in pre-school children. Delaying its inclusion beyond the age of eight months seems to be associated with an impairment of later iron status.

Iron Intake and Status of Children Aged 6-36 Months in Europe: A Systematic Review

“…Moreover, cow's milk is rich in calcium and casein, both known to inhibit iron absorption [85]. Other studies showed that late weaning, and particularly the late introduction of iron-rich meat, is an important predictor of iron deficiency in children older than 1 year [86,87]. …”

Implications of low red meat consumption for iron status of young people in Britain

“…The question of whether red meat is superior to poultry and/or fish in enhancing iron status is less well researched. Most observational studies have found a positive association between iron status (Doyle et al , 1999; Donovan and Gibson, 1995; Ortega et al , 1998; Requejo et al , 1999; Thane et al , 2000; Thane and Bates, 2001; Hua et al , 2001; Milman et al , 2003; Thane et al , 2003) and meat consumption and a few have found a stronger and/or a specific association with red meat (Worthington‐Roberts et al , 1988; Gibson and Ashwell, 2003; Wolmarans et al , 2003). Our findings of a non‐significant association with poultry are tentative and require further exploration, but may be biologically plausible given the lower iron and haem iron content of poultry compared with beef, lamb or pork.…”

The nutritional quality of meat

“…This figure grossly underestimates the value of meat for influencing iron status. A Spanish study showed that children who first ate meat before eight months of age showed a better iron status than those who were introduced to meat later than eight months (Requejo et al, 1999). Low iron intakes and status are common among certain subgroups of the population; toddlers (Gregory et al, 1995;Edmond et al, 1996), adolescents (Nelson et al, 1993Nelson, 1996), pregnant women (Allen, 1997 and the elderly (Finch et al, 1998).…”