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 .
Iron fortification of infant milk formula: the effect on iron status and immune function.
We conducted a r and omized double-blind trial of a cow 's milk infant formula with increased iron fortification in order to confirm its safety and to measure its effects on iron status and immune function .  A group of full-term , well nourished and healthy infants was followed from the age of 3 months to 1 year . A control group of 74 infants was given a commercially available infant formula containing 8.3 mg Fe/100 g . The test group of 75 infants received a similar formula with 40 mg Fe/100 g. The formula with the extra iron proved to be safe and , when compared with the control group , the children in the test group had significantly improved iron status as reflected by the proportion of children classed as normal ( 25 of 61 cf . 44 of 65 ; p less than 0.003 ) , and by the mean values of the haemoglobin concentration ( 11.5 cf . 11.9 g/dl ; p = 0.04 ) , red cell distribution width ( 15.5 % cf . 14.4 % ; p = 0.0005 ) , red cell zinc protoporphyrin ( 3.4 cf . 4.0 micrograms/g Hb ; p = 0.04 ) and ferritin ( 29 cf . 17.3 micrograms/l ; p = 0.004 ) . The extra iron fortification depressed zinc concentration in plasma ( 90.6 cf . 83.5 micrograms/l ; p = 0.05 ) . There was no significant difference between the two groups for laboratory measures of immune function or for incidence of infection . No adverse effects such as infection could be attributed to the increased iron . We conclude that iron fortification of cow 's milk infant formula may be safely increased to 40 mg/100 g ( i.e. by a factor of 4.8 over the common concentration of 8.3 mg/100 g ) , but that this has less than the expected effect on iron status . Further studies are required to define ( a ) the long-term role of facilitators of iron absorption such as ascorbic acid , ( b ) the interaction of iron with absorption of divalent trace elements such as zinc , and ( c ) the effect of iron status on immune function and susceptibility to infection
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 .