Limited evidence suggested that iron supplementation produced a small improvement in cognitive development but had no effect on physical growth .
CONCLUSIONS : In 2 to 5 year olds , daily iron supplementation increases hemoglobin and ferritin .
There is a concerning lack of data on the effect of iron supplementation on clinical ly important outcomes including anemia , ID anemia , ID , and cognitive development .
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES : Iron deficiency ( ID ) is the most common cause of anemia worldwide .
The prevalence is highest among preschool-aged children .
Iron is widely administered to children with or at risk for ID , but evidence of benefit among 2- to 5-year-old children has not been evaluated by systematic review .
We summarize the evidence for the benefit and safety of daily iron supplementation with regard to hematologic , growth , and cognitive parameters in 2 to 5 year olds .
Impact of iron supplementation and deworming on growth performance in preschool Beninese children
Objective : To assess the effects of iron and deworming on linear growth performance of preschoolers . Design : Three-month r and omized , double-blind and placebo-controlled trial . The children were allocated to four treatments : iron ( 60 mg elemental iron/day)+albendazole ( 200 mg/day for 3 consecutive days , repeated 1 month later ) , iron+albendazole-placebo , albendazole+iron-placebo or placebos . The supplementation was supervised . Subjects : A group of 177 children aged 3–5 y was selected from low-income households in a rural area in southern Bénin . A complete data set was analysed for 140 subjects . Many children were stunted ( 58 % had height-for-age Z-score < −2 ) , none were wasted ( 2 % had weight-for-height Z-score < −2 ) and 76 % were anemic ( Hb<110 g/l).Main outcome measures : Anthropometric parameters , hemoglobin and eggs per gram feces . Results : No significant difference in changes in anthropometric parameters was observed between study groups , and also not in a sub- sample of stunted and anemic subjects . Changes in hemoglobin were highest in the iron-treated subjects at the end of the 3-month intervention period ( P=0.032 ) . The difference between the iron and the placebo groups remained significant even 7 months later ( P=0.022 ) . The difference was 5 g/l in both periods . Ascaris lumbricoides and hookworm infections decreased significantly in albendazole-treated subjects ( P<0.05 ) . Conclusions : In addition to recurrent parasitic infection burden , the children may have multiple micronutrient deficiencies . Therefore , it may be interesting to study appetite and food intake of young toddlers in relation to health and linear growth performance in poor environments . Sponsorship : The Nestlé Foundation ( Lausanne , Switzerl and ) .European Journal of Clinical Nutrition ( 2001 ) 55 ,
Limited evidence suggested that iron supplementation produced a small improvement in cognitive development but had no effect on physical growth .
CONCLUSIONS : In 2 to 5 year olds , daily iron supplementation increases hemoglobin and ferritin .
There is a concerning lack of data on the effect of iron supplementation on clinical ly important outcomes including anemia , ID anemia , ID , and cognitive development .
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES : Iron deficiency ( ID ) is the most common cause of anemia worldwide .
The prevalence is highest among preschool-aged children .
Iron is widely administered to children with or at risk for ID , but evidence of benefit among 2- to 5-year-old children has not been evaluated by systematic review .
We summarize the evidence for the benefit and safety of daily iron supplementation with regard to hematologic , growth , and cognitive parameters in 2 to 5 year olds .