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Iron sufficiency with prolonged exclusive breast-feeding in Peruvian infants
Insights
Exclusively breast-feeding infants for at least nine months appears to meet their iron needs. Peruvian infants exclusively breast-fed showed no iron deficiency, similar to U.S. infants on mixed diets.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Human Nutrition
- Iron Metabolism
Background:
- Iron deficiency is a significant global health concern in infants.
- Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months, but optimal duration for iron sufficiency is debated.
- Assessing iron status in exclusively breast-fed infants is crucial for understanding nutritional adequacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the iron status of exclusively breast-fed Peruvian infants.
- To compare iron status markers between exclusively breast-fed infants and infants on a mixed diet.
- To determine if exclusive breastfeeding for at least 9 months meets infant iron requirements.
Main Methods:
- Measured serum ferritin and erythrocyte porphyrin concentrations.
- Studied seven exclusively breast-fed Peruvian infants aged 7.5-12.0 months.
- Compared findings to 40 nonanemic, non-iron-deficient U.S. infants (9-12 months) on a mixed diet.
Main Results:
- No infant in the study group showed signs of iron deficiency.
- Serum ferritin and erythrocyte porphyrin levels were comparable to U.S. infants on mixed diets.
- Exclusively breast-fed infants maintained adequate iron status up to 12 months.
Conclusions:
- Exclusive breastfeeding for at least 9 months is sufficient to meet the iron requirements of full-term infants.
- This feeding practice supports adequate iron status, challenging concerns about deficiency in prolonged exclusive breastfeeding.
- Findings provide evidence supporting extended exclusive breastfeeding from an iron nutrition perspective.
Abstract:
Serum ferritin and erythrocyte porphyrin concentrations were measured in seven Peruvian infants, who ranged in age from 7.5-12.0 months (mean: 9.3 months), who had been exclusively breast-fed all their lives. No infant had evidence of iron deficiency as reflected by a reduced serum ferritin, or an increased erythrocyte porphyrin. Mean serum ferritin and erythrocyte porphyrin values in these seven infants were similar to those of 40 nonanemic, noniron-deficient U.S. infants who ranged in age from 9 to 12 months, on a mixed diet. These findings illustrate that exclusively breast-feeding an infant for at least 9 months of life meets the iron requirements of the full-term infant.