Investigating the Effect of Early Iron Supplementation in the Neurodevelopment of Breastfed Infants
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Reviewed by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
Translated by Nhi Phuong Quynh Le, B.A |
Posted on June 5th, 2024
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Infantile iron deficiency is a common global problem, which is more severe in resource-limited communities. Anemia caused by iron deficiency can potentially interfere with neurodevelopment and cause cognitive impairment and behavioral problems. Since the iron content of breast milk is low, there is a debate on the necessity of iron supplementation. To fill this gap in knowledge, a study was conducted in Poland and Sweden to investigate the effect of daily iron supplementation on early cognitive development.
The study included 221 full-term infants with a birth weight greater than 2.5 kg, who are being breastfed more than 50% of the day and have no anemia by the 4th month of life. The baseline average hemoglobin concentration of the participants was around 11.6 g/dL, and the mean ferritin level was 168 ng/mL. The infants were randomly assigned to receive a daily oral supplementation of placebo or 1 mg of iron - in the form of micronized microencapsulated ferric pyrophosphate - per kilogram of body weight. After 12 months, assessment with the Bailey-III scale showed that iron supplementation did not result in significant improvement in motor, cognitive, or language development. In addition, there was no significant difference in the risk of iron-deficiency anemia, hemoglobin, and ferritin level between the treatment and placebo groups. The researchers concluded that the lack of noticeable effect can potentially be explained by the fact that breastfeeding might have provided the needed amount of iron. In addition, the relatively high socioeconomic status of the research setting might mean iron content in milk and the amount of in utero iron endowment might be higher than in a resource-limited setting.
The study included 221 full-term infants with a birth weight greater than 2.5 kg, who are being breastfed more than 50% of the day and have no anemia by the 4th month of life. The baseline average hemoglobin concentration of the participants was around 11.6 g/dL, and the mean ferritin level was 168 ng/mL. The infants were randomly assigned to receive a daily oral supplementation of placebo or 1 mg of iron - in the form of micronized microencapsulated ferric pyrophosphate - per kilogram of body weight. After 12 months, assessment with the Bailey-III scale showed that iron supplementation did not result in significant improvement in motor, cognitive, or language development. In addition, there was no significant difference in the risk of iron-deficiency anemia, hemoglobin, and ferritin level between the treatment and placebo groups. The researchers concluded that the lack of noticeable effect can potentially be explained by the fact that breastfeeding might have provided the needed amount of iron. In addition, the relatively high socioeconomic status of the research setting might mean iron content in milk and the amount of in utero iron endowment might be higher than in a resource-limited setting.