Iron supplementation did not improve psychomotor development in healthy infants
A clinical study by Swedish scientists has shown that iron supplements are ineffective in optimising psychomotor development in healthy breastfed infants. Psychomotor development did not improve with daily iron supplementation at a dosage of one milligram per kilogram between 4 and 9 months of age. The results of the study are published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Iron deficiency remains a global public health problem, with children under three years of age at high risk for iron deficiency due to high iron requirements, rapid growth, reduced innate stores, and inadequate nutrient replenishment. Although paediatricians recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, the iron content of breast milk is steadily declining and iron intake from complementary foods is often insufficient. That said, iron is essential for normal brain development in children, and the link between iron deficiency anaemia and impaired cognitive function, motor performance and behaviour is well established.
As preventive measures, doctors recommend delayed cord clamping and timely introduction of iron-rich complementary foods. With regard to iron supplementation, there is a lack of good quality data on whether it improves blood iron levels and developmental performance in infancy. Therefore, there is currently no consensus on supplementation recommendations for breastfed infants beyond four months of age.
A research team led by Anna Chmielewska (Anna Chmielewska) from Umeå University conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial that examined the effects of low-dose iron supplementation on nervous system development in preterm healthy children who were exclusively or predominantly breastfed. A total of 221 participants were included: 111 were randomised to receive daily iron supplements at a dose of one milligram per kilogram and 110 to receive placebo (maltodextrin). Of the 221 participants included in the study, 200 underwent an initial assessment.
Researchers found no clear effect of iron supplementation on psychomotor development as assessed by the Bayley Motor Activity Scale after 12 months, even after adjusting for sex, gestational age and maternal education. Similarly, the researchers found no differences between groups on cognitive and language measures. No effect of early iron supplementation was observed on developmental scores at 24 and 36 months.
The results of this study do not support the practice of prescribing iron supplementation to healthy breastfed infants 4 to 9 months of age with normal birth weight at low risk for iron deficiency anaemia.