[The influence of preventive iron supplementation to iron nutritional status in breastfed infants].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the effects to iron status who were given preventive iron supplements for two months from when they were breast-fed to four-month-old.


METHODS
A total of 123 infants in four-month-old age who were breast-fed were randomly divided into iron supplementation group (63 cases) and control group (60 cases), iron supplementation group was supplied with low-dose iron (1 mg×kg⁻¹×d⁻¹) for two months with no intervention for control group. Blood samples were collected to test C reactive protein and iron status indicators in six-month-old age group infants, and the growth indices were measured and compared on the gender difference of iron status at and 6 months.


RESULTS
After 2 months of low-dose iron supplementation, the hemoglobin of iron supplementation group (26 cases) increased about 5.5 g/L while the control group (34 cases) increases about 0.0 g/L (median), 95% confidence intervals were -7.0 - 13.0 g/L and -9.0 - 15.0 g/L, respectively. The hemoglobin increase of iron supplementation group was higher than the control group, the difference was statistically significant (u = -2.326, P < 0.05). The other iron nutritional status and the growth did not show any significant difference between iron supplementation group and control group (P > 0.05). At age 6 month, the MCV of the boys were (75.89 ± 3.34) fl, while the girls were (77.20 ± 3.17) fl. The boys had lower values of MCV than the girls, and the gender difference was statistically significant (t = 4.73, P < 0.05). The other iron nutritional status did not show any significant gender difference (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Low-dose iron supplementation of breast-fed infants at 4-month-old can increase the hemoglobin level when they were 6-month-old, and had no measurable side effect on growth.
Department of Pediatrics, People's Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100044, China.
Yue-jiao
YJ
Wang
Qin
Q
Wu
Li-chen
LC
Yang
Xiao-rui
XR
Zhang
Chao-mei
CM
Zeng
Xiao-guang
XG
Yang
Jie
J
Liu
D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019266:Iron, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status
D019266:Iron, Dietary