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Gut Microbial and Metabolic Profiling Reveal the Lingering Effects of Infantile Iron Deficiency Unless Treated with

Jordi Mayneris-Perxachs1,2,3, Wellington Amaral4, Gabriele R Lubach4

  • 1Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Josep Trueta University Hospital, Girona, Spain.

Molecular Nutrition & Food Research
|February 18, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Infant iron deficiency (ID) can cause lasting metabolic and gut microbial changes. Early iron treatment is crucial to prevent these chronic effects and support infant health.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Nutritional Science
  • Microbiome Research

Background:

  • Iron deficiency (ID) is a global infant health concern.
  • While treatable, some long-term effects of infant ID persist.
  • Investigating metabolic and gut microbial consequences of infant ID is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the metabolic and gut microbial consequences of infant iron deficiency.
  • To compare outcomes after natural recovery versus iron treatment in juvenile monkeys.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for metabolomic profiling of urine and plasma.
  • Characterized gut microbiota using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing from rectal swabs.
  • Analyzed urinary and plasma metabolic profiles and gut microbial composition.

Main Results:

  • Monkeys recovering naturally from iron deficiency (pID) showed distinct urinary metabolic profiles, including higher maltose and lower microbial metabolites.
  • Plasma metabolomics revealed persistent differences in energy metabolism, with pID monkeys relying more on anaerobic glycolysis.
  • Microbial profiling identified increased Methanobrevibacter, Lachnobacterium, and Ruminococcus, and decreased Prevotella in pID monkeys compared to controls.

Conclusions:

  • Lingering metabolic and microbial effects are evident after natural recovery from infant iron deficiency.
  • Early detection and treatment of infant ID are vital to prevent chronic metabolic derangements.
  • Iron dextran and B vitamin treatment (pID+Fe) ameliorated these long-term biochemical effects.
Abstract

Keywords:
anemiairon deficiencyiron supplementationmetabolismmetabolomemicrobiomemicrobiotamonkey

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