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 .
Haemoglobin fortified cereal: a source of available iron to breast-fed infants.
We tested in the field an extruded rice flour , fortified with a bovine haemoglobin concentrate ( Fe:14 mg/100 g of powder ) . This cereal has a high iron bioavailability , good protein quality and amino acid score . Healthy , term breast-fed infants were prospect ively studied . One group ( n = 92 ) received the fortified cereal ( from 4 to 12 months of age ) . As control , 96 infants received  regular solid foods ( cooked vegetables and meat ) from age 4 months . At the end of the field trial , a sub sample of infants in both groups was supplemented with 45 mg Fe during 90 d. Iron nutrition status was determined at 9 , 12 and 15 months . At 12 months , iron deficiency anaemia was present in 17 per cent of controls , in 10 per cent of fortified infants as a whole , but only in 6 per cent of the babies who consumed over 30 g of cereal/d . In addition , this latter group did not show any significant changes in iron nutrition status after the supplementation trial . Results demonstrate that the consumption of a haemoglobin fortified cereal is effective in markedly reducing the incidence of iron deficiency in breast-fed 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 .