Iron gain in low-birthweight infants: role of milk feeding

The availability of iron is critical in low-birthweight infants. We followed a group of small preterm infants without iron supplementation who were either exclusively breast-fed or weaned early to industrial infant milk formula or home-prepared cow's milk formula. The gain of iron was compared within the milk groups on the basis of hemoglobin and serum ferritin concentrations at the ages of 3 and 4 mth when only trace amounts of solid foods had been given. Contrary to the reports on term infants we found unsupplemented proprietary infant milk formula and breast milk similar as a source of iron. It is possible that there is no major inhibition of iron absorption from any milk during the time of simultaneously occurring accelerated erythropoiesis and exhaustion of iron stores in preterm infants. The apparent inferiority of cow's milk could be due to increased intestinal loss of blood.