Anemia and iron status in Inuit infants from northern Quebec

The iron status and diet of Inuit infants living in northern Quebec who were part of a prospective cohort study was described. The prevalence of anemia (hemoglobin values > 2 SD below the reference mean) was 21.1% (23/109), 47.4% (55/116) and 37.7% (46/122) at 2, 6 and 12 months, respectively. The corresponding prevalence of microcytic anemia was 0.0%, 4.3% and 21.3%. At 2, 6 and 12 months, iron-deficiency anemia (serum ferritin < 10 micrograms/L coupled with anemia) was present in 1.3% (1/79), 24.4% (21/86) and 26.3% (25/95) of infants, respectively. Compared with breastfeeding, the odds ratio for iron deficiency (serum ferritin < 10 micrograms/L) for bottle-feeding with cows' milk or low iron formula was 3.02 (95% CI 1.25-7.27) at 6 months and 3.05 (95% CI 1.28-7.28) at 12 months. This study shows iron-deficiency anemia to be a problem in Inuit infants as young as 6 months old. Breastfed infants were better protected against iron deficiency than infants fed cow's milk or low-iron formula.