This systematic review indicates that iron supplementation increases  Hb levels in children significantly but modestly .
The increase is greater in subjects who are anaemic at the start of the trial and lower in malarial hyperendemic areas and in those consuming iron-fortified food .
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of iron supplementation on  haemoglobin ( Hb ) in children through a systematic review of r and omised controlled trials .
Interactions between Infections, Malnutrition and Ironnutritional Status in Pakistani Infants A Longitudinal Study
The interactions between infections , malnutrition and poor iron nutritional status in infants at weaning ages are poorly defined . Therefore , four groups of infants from an area with a high incidence of malnutrition ( Lahore , Pakistan ) were enrolled in a prospect i ve , r and omized nutritional intervention study . Between 122 and 365 days of age , the infants from one community received either a milk cereal without iron fortification ( n= 29 ) , a milk cereal fortified with ferrous fumarate ( 7.5 mg/100 g ; n= 30 ) , or a milk cereal fortified with ferric‐pyrophosphate ( 7.5 mg/100 g ; n= 27 ) . Forty‐four infants from a neighbouring community did not receive a nutritional supplement and served as the control group . Calculated mean daily energy‐ and protein intake with the cereals was between 259–287 kcal , and 9.6–10.6 g at 12 months of age , respectively . Mean daily iron intake with the fortified cereals was between 4.1–5.1 mg at corresponding age . Nutritional supplementation result ed in significantly lower incidence of malnutrition and heigher weight gain . Incidence of acute diarrhoea was significantly ( p<0.05 ) lower in the supplemented groups . The infants fed the iron‐fortified milk cereals had significantly higher hemoglobin ( mean 10.4 vs. 9.8 gdl‐1 ) and serum ferritin ( mean 13.3 vs. 8.5 ngml‐1 ) values than the infants fed the non‐fortified milk cereals . However , no differences in the incidence of infections were found between the supplemented groups . It is concluded that poor nutritional intake between 122 and 365 days of age substantially contributed to the high incidence of diarrhoea and malnutrition in Pakistani infants
This systematic review indicates that iron supplementation increases  Hb levels in children significantly but modestly .
The increase is greater in subjects who are anaemic at the start of the trial and lower in malarial hyperendemic areas and in those consuming iron-fortified food .
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of iron supplementation on  haemoglobin ( Hb ) in children through a systematic review of r and omised controlled trials .