Annie asks:
"Also, where is the evidence based research that shows prolonged use of
high doses of fe, is beneficial to either mother or newborn?"

Actually I just came across evidence based research that show that there is
a risk of iron supplementation. This seems obvious but so many people are
enamoured of the idea that if a bit of something is good, more must be
better.

Margaret Young
Burnaby BC


J Trop Pediatr. 2003 Apr;49(2):84-8.  Related Articles, Links


The effect of iron therapy on the growth of iron-replete and iron-deplete
children.

Majumdar I, Paul P, Talib VH, Ranga S.

Department of Pediatrics and Laboratory Medicine, Safdarjang Hospital and
Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India. [log in to unmask]

This prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was designed to
study the effect of iron therapy on the growth of iron-replete and iron-
deficient children, and to study the change in iron status in iron-
deficient children with iron therapy. One hundred and fifty children (aged
6-24 months) were included in the study. After an informed written consent,
100 healthy children, who were iron replete (group I) according to preset
criteria, were randomly allocated to receive iron supplements 2 ng/kg/day
(group IA) or placebo (group IB). Fifty iron-deficient children (group II)
were administered iron syrup 6 mg/kg/day. Growth parameters (weight, length
and head-circumference) and hematological parameters were studied for 4
months. Iron therapy, as compared with placebo, produced a significant
improvement of mean monthly weight gain (p < 0.001) and linear growth (p <
0.001) in the iron-deficient children. However, it significantly decreased
the weight gain (p < 0.001) and linear growth (p < 0.001) of iron-replete
children. Caution should therefore be exercised while supplementing iron to
children with apparently normal growth and when the iron status of the
child is not known.

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