Significant heterogeneity was evident , and its predictors included greater weight-for-age in supplemented children in malaria hyperendemic regions and greater weight-for-height for children above 5 years of age , but a negative effect on linear growth in developed countries and with supplementation for 6 months or longer .
This review did not document a positive effect of iron supplementation on the physical growth of children .
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of iron supplementation on  physical growth in children through a systematic review of r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) .
Iron supplementation affects growth and morbidity of breast-fed infants: results of a randomized trial in Sweden and Honduras.
Iron supplements are often prescribed during infancy but their benefits and risks have not been well documented . We examined whether iron supplements affect growth or morbidity of breast-fed infants . Full-term infants in Sweden ( n = 101 ) and Honduras ( n = 131 ) were r and omly assigned to three groups at 4 mo of age : 1 ) placebo from 4 to 9 mo ; 2 ) placebo from 4 to 6 mo and iron supplements [ 1 mg/(kg . d ) ] from 6 to 9 mo ; or 3 ) iron supplements from 4 to 9 mo . All infants were exclusively or nearly exclusively breast-fed to 6 mo and continued to be breast-fed to at least 9 mo . Growth was measured monthly and morbidity data were collected every 2 wk . Among the Swedish infants , gains in length and head circumference were significantly lower in those who received iron than in those given placebo from 4 to 9 mo . The same effect on length was seen in Honduras , but only at 4 - 6 mo among those with initial hemoglobin ( Hb ) > or = 110 g/L. There was no significant main effect of  iron supplementation on morbidity , nor any significant interaction between iron supplementation and site , but for diarrhea ( with both sites combined ) , there was an interaction between iron supplementation and initial Hb . Among infants with Hb < 110 g/L at 4 mo , diarrhea was less common among those given iron than in those given placebo from 4 - 9 mo , whereas the opposite was true among those with Hb > or = 110 g/L ( P < 0.05 ) . We conclude that routine iron supplementation of breast-fed infants may benefit those with low Hb but may present risks for those with normal Hb
Significant heterogeneity was evident , and its predictors included greater weight-for-age in supplemented children in malaria hyperendemic regions and greater weight-for-height for children above 5 years of age , but a negative effect on linear growth in developed countries and with supplementation for 6 months or longer .
This review did not document a positive effect of iron supplementation on the physical growth of children .
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of iron supplementation on  physical growth in children through a systematic review of r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) .