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Effects of prenatal iron status on child neurodevelopment and behavior: A systematic review
Lucía Iglesias1, Josefa Canals2, Victoria Arija1
1a Unit of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science , Universitat Rovira I Virgili , Reus , Spain.
Insights
Prenatal iron levels significantly impact child neurodevelopment. Both iron deficiency and excess iron during pregnancy can harm mental and psychomotor development, necessitating personalized supplementation strategies.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Pediatric Neurology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia are prevalent global nutritional issues.
- Adequate prenatal iron is crucial for optimal child neurodevelopment, yet this link requires further investigation.
- Understanding the impact of maternal iron status on fetal development is critical for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize existing scientific evidence on the relationship between prenatal iron status and child neurodevelopment.
- To highlight the necessity of personalized iron supplementation in pregnancy.
- To inform clinical practice regarding iron management during gestation.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted across major electronic databases.
- Included studies focused on pregnant women (excluding high-risk pregnancies) and child neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Analysis encompassed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies.
Main Results:
- Most studies indicated that both iron deficiency and iron excess during pregnancy negatively affect child's mental and psychomotor development.
- Some studies reported no association between low iron levels and neurodevelopmental issues.
- Inconsistent results were observed, with some recommending multi-micronutrient supplementation over iron alone.
Conclusions:
- Both insufficient and excessive iron levels during pregnancy pose risks to child neurodevelopment.
- Prenatal iron supplementation requires individualization based on maternal iron stores, genetic factors, and health habits.
- Personalized iron management is essential for safeguarding neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Abstract:
Iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia are the main worldwide nutritional disorders. A good level of prenatal iron is essential for the correct child neurodevelopment but this association has been poorly investigated. To gather the scientific evidence on the relation between prenatal iron status and child neurodevelopment. To emphasize the importance of personalize the dose and type of supplementation. Wide search strategy was performed in electronic databases for English language articles with no limitations as regards the language or date of publication. Additional studies were selected by hand search. The inclusion criteria were pregnant women without high-risk pregnancy and their children as study population and neurodevelopment as the main outcome. Six RCTs and 13 observational studies were included. The majority concluded that deficit or excess iron during pregnancy injures the mental and psychomotor development of child. Other authors found no association of low iron level with troubles in neurodevelopment, recommended multi-micronutrients instead of iron alone and/or showed inconsistent results. Both iron deficiency as its excess are harmful for the child neurodevelopment. The prenatal iron supplementation should be adjusted for each woman, taking into account the iron stores, some genetic mutation and other health habits.
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