Iron supplementation improves mental development score modestly .
This effect is particularly apparent for intelligence tests above 7 years of age and in initially anaemic or iron-deficient anaemic subjects .
There is no convincing evidence that iron treatment has an effect on mental development in children below 27 months of age or on motor development
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of iron supplementation on  mental and motor development in children through a systematic review of r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) .
Behavioral effects of iron supplementation in infants in Madang, Papua New Guinea.
The effect of iron supplementation on attending behavior of 96 1-y-old infants was assessed in a double-blind , r and omized , controlled trial of iron dextran  in Papua New Guinea . The treatment group received an injection of iron dextran at 2 mo ; the controls received a placebo injection . Because many children had malarial parasitemia at testing , presence of malaria was used in the analysis . A significant interaction was found between iron and malaria infection on total fixation time : iron-supplemented groups and placebo-treated parasitemic children showed significantly higher total fixation scores than did placebo-treated aparasitemic children . Blood analysis of iron status showed similar results , with lowest iron status evident in the placebo-treated aparasitemic group . There was no effect of treatment on rate of habituation or dishabituation . Supplemental iron treatment has a significant effect on attention but the direction of the effect depends on the presence of malaria infection
Iron supplementation improves mental development score modestly .
This effect is particularly apparent for intelligence tests above 7 years of age and in initially anaemic or iron-deficient anaemic subjects .
There is no convincing evidence that iron treatment has an effect on mental development in children below 27 months of age or on motor development
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of iron supplementation on  mental and motor development in children through a systematic review of r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) .