Hi Lactnetters!

Jumping right in there:  Iron preparations that are soluble in water or in
dilute acid solutions (anyone thinking of the gut) are of high
bioavailability but forms of iron that are insoluble in water or dilute acid
solutions are of low bioavailability. If a food can be packaged so as to
limit prolonged contact with oxygen, then a water-soluble form of iron can be
used. Dry infant cereals  as currently packaged do permit   continued
exchange of oxygen with the air of the enviornment and so are fortified with
 iron of low chemical reactivity and rather low bioavailabiity.  Electrolytic
iron powder is the "source" of choice these days. It has a geometric mean
absorption of 4.0% compared to 1.0% for sodium iron pyrophosphate, 2.7% for
ferrous sulfate and 0.7% for fettic orthophosphate.  Now as you all say SO
WHAT!! GET TO THE BOTTOM LINE!  Walter (1992) did a study in Chile that
showed that anemia was less prevalent and iron nutritional status better in
infants fed a cereal fortified with electrolytic iron than in infants fed the
same cereal without fortificaton.  This is not to say that there are not iron
sources of better bioavailabiltiy and that infant cereals may be fortified
with an as yet unknown future type of iron,  but in the meantime.... the
infants given the cereal with the iron have better iron nurtriture than the
infants fed the non-iron fortified cereals.

We are not talking fortification for sick infants here.  We are talking about
fortification of the well infant not at risk for some of the infectious
diseases (such as malaria, TB etc.)  In infants who are sick or at risk of
the above, the low iron levels may well be adaptive and part of the immune
response.

Becca Black, RD, IBLCLC
Breastfeeding Hack ( ok Kathy you get credit for the name)