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Iron status in 6-y-old children: associations with growth and earlier iron status

B S Gunnarsson1, I Thorsdottir, G Palsson

  • 1Unit for Nutrition Research, Landspitali - University Hospital and Department of Food Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland. bsg@hi.is

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|June 3, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Children with lower iron stores at younger ages experienced slower growth. Faster early childhood growth was linked to poorer iron status by age six, suggesting a complex relationship between nutrition and development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Child Growth and Development
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Iron deficiency is a global health concern affecting child development.
  • Understanding the interplay between iron status and growth is crucial for early intervention.
  • Longitudinal data on iron status and growth in early childhood are essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the iron status of 6-year-old children.
  • To examine the association between iron status and growth parameters.
  • To investigate the relationship between earlier iron status and current iron status and growth.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 139 children (74% participation rate) from previous cohorts.
  • Collection of body size measurements and blood samples near the child's sixth birthday.
  • Analysis of iron status indicators including serum ferritin (SF) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV).

Main Results:

  • No iron deficiency anemia was observed; however, 16% of children had depleted iron stores (SF < 15 microg/l).
  • Iron status indices at 6 years were generally higher than at 1 and 2 years, with correlations noted.
  • Hemoglobin concentration at 6 years was negatively associated with length gain from birth to 1 year; faster weight gain was observed in children with depleted iron stores.

Conclusions:

  • Low iron status in early childhood (1-2 years) may be associated with slower growth up to age 6.
  • Slower growth or low iron status in early years could contribute to poorer iron status at age 6.
  • Conversely, faster growth in early childhood appears related to lower iron status at age 6.
Abstract

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