Effect of iron supplementation on cognition in Greek preschoolers
E Metallinos-Katsaras1, E Valassi-Adam, K G Dewey
1Simmons College, Boston, MA 02132, USA. metallin@simmons.edu
Insights
Iron supplementation improved selective attention in iron-deficient anemic preschoolers. Children receiving iron showed better accuracy and fewer errors, demonstrating enhanced cognitive function. This benefit was not observed in children with adequate iron levels.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Public Health
Background:
- Iron deficiency anemia is prevalent in preschool children globally.
- Anemia can negatively impact cognitive development and academic performance.
- Targeted interventions are crucial for addressing iron deficiency in early childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of iron supplementation on cognitive functions in Greek preschoolers.
- Specifically examined effects on vigilance, attention, and conceptual learning.
- Assessed if iron status influences the response to supplementation.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in nine public day care centers in Athens, Greece.
- Participants included 49 children aged 3-4 years, stratified by iron status (anemic vs. good iron status).
- Intervention involved 2 months of either 15 mg iron (with multivitamins) or placebo (multivitamins alone).
Main Results:
- Iron supplementation significantly improved cognitive performance in anemic children, including fewer errors of commission (higher specificity) and increased accuracy.
- Anemic children receiving iron demonstrated significantly greater efficiency in cognitive tasks.
- No significant cognitive benefits of iron supplementation were observed in preschoolers with good iron status.
Conclusions:
- Iron supplementation effectively enhances selective attention and discrimination abilities in iron-deficient anemic preschoolers.
- The findings highlight the importance of addressing iron deficiency to support cognitive development in young children.
- Iron's cognitive benefits are specific to children with iron deficiency, not those with sufficient iron levels.
Objective:
To examine effects of iron supplementation on vigilance, attention and conceptual learning in preschool children in Greece.
Design:
Randomized Double-Blind Placebo Controlled trial of iron. Randomization stratified by iron status and day care center (DCC).
Setting:
Nine public DCCs in Athens, Greece.
Subjects:
In all, 49 3-4-y olds (21 anemic, 28 good iron status) with birth weight not less than 2500 g, currently healthy; benign past medical history, IQ > or =1 s.d. below the age-adjusted mean, serum Pb < or =200 ppb (none exceeded 50 ppb), and height, weight and head circumference for age > or =10th percentile. Anemia defined as: (1) pretreatment Hgb <112 g/l and TS <16% and ferritin <12 microg/L OR (2) Hgb rise of >10 g/l (T2-T0) with iron supplementation. Good iron status was defined as baseline levels of Hgb >120 g/l and either TS >20% or serum ferritin >12 microg/l.
Intervention:
The intervention consisted of a 2-month supplementation of 15 mg iron (and MV) vs placebo (MV alone).
Results:
After iron treatment, the anemic subjects made significantly fewer errors of commission (14% higher specificity, P<0.05), exhibited 8% higher accuracy (P<0.05) and were significantly more efficient (mean difference=1.09, P<0.05) than those given placebo. These effects of iron were not found among preschoolers with good iron status. No effects of iron treatment were found on the Oddity Learning task.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrated that iron supplementation of iron-deficient anemic preschoolers results in an improvement in discrimination, specifically selective attention.
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