Iron supplementation not effective in optimizing psychomotor development in full-term healthy breastfed infants: JAMA

Written By :  Dr. Shravani Dali
Medically Reviewed By :  Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli
Published On 2024-05-19 14:30 GMT   |   Update On 2024-05-20 06:24 GMT

Iron supplementation is not effective in optimising psychomotor development in full-term healthy breastfed infants suggests a study published in the JAMA.

Breastfed infants are at risk of iron deficiency, which is associated with suboptimal development. There is a paucity of evidence on the effects of iron supplementation on child development, and current guidelines are divergent. A study was done to assess whether daily iron supplementation, 1 mg/kg, between 4 and 9 months in exclusively or predominantly breastfed infants improves psychomotor development at 12 months. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted between December 2015 and May 2020 with follow-up through May 2023 in an outpatient setting in Poland and Sweden. Participants were healthy singleton infants born at term with birth weight greater than 2500 g who were exclusively or predominantly breastfed (>50%) and did not have anemia (hemoglobin >10.5 g/dL) at age 4 months.

Advertisement

Exclusion criteria included major illness, congenital anomaly, food allergy, and difficulty communicating with caregivers. The primary outcome was psychomotor development assessed by motor score of Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III at 12 months, adjusted for gestational age, sex, and maternal education. Secondary outcomes included cognitive and language scores at 12 months; motor, cognitive, and language scores at 24 and 36 months; iron deficiency (serum ferritin <12 ng/mL), and iron deficiency anemia (iron deficiency and hemoglobin <10.5 g/dL) at 12 months. Results: Of 221 randomized infants (111 female), 200 (90%) were included in the intention-to-treat analysis (mean [SD] age, 12.4 [0.8] months). Iron supplementation (n = 104) compared to placebo (n = 96) had no effect on psychomotor development (mean difference [MD] for motor score, −1.07 points; 95% CI, −4.69 to 2.55), cognitive score (MD, −1.14; 95% CI, −4.26 to 1.99), or language score (MD, 0.75; 95% CI, −2.31 to 3.82) at 12 months. There were no significant differences at 24 and 36 months. The intervention did not reduce the risk for iron deficiency (relative risk [RR], 0.46; 95% CI, 0.16 to 1.30) or iron deficiency anemia (RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.05 to 12.46) at 12 months. No benefit was found with daily low-dose iron supplementation between 4 and 9 months with respect to psychomotor development, risk of iron deficiency, or iron deficiency anemia among breastfed infants in a setting of low risk of anemia.

Reference:

Svensson L, Chmielewski G, Czyżewska E, et al. Effect of Low-Dose Iron Supplementation on Early Development in Breastfed Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. Published online May 13, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.1095

Tags:    
Article Source : JAMA Pediatrics

Disclaimer: This site is primarily intended for healthcare professionals. Any content/information on this website does not replace the advice of medical and/or health professionals and should not be construed as medical/diagnostic advice/endorsement/treatment or prescription. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use, privacy policy, advertisement policy. © 2024 Minerva Medical Treatment Pvt Ltd

Our comments section is governed by our Comments Policy . By posting comments at Medical Dialogues you automatically agree with our Comments Policy , Terms And Conditions and Privacy Policy .

Similar News