Iron status in 6-y-old children: associations with growth and earlier iron status

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To investigate the iron status of 6-y-old children and its association with growth and earlier iron status. DESIGN: In a cross-sectional study, children's body size

measurements were recorded and blood samples taken near their sixth birthday. SUBJECTS: A sample of 188 children, randomly selected in two previous studies, was contacted, and 139(74%)

agreed to participate. RESULTS: No children had iron deficiency anaemia, one was iron-deficient (serum ferritin (SF) <15 μg/l and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) <76 fl but 16% had

depleted iron stores (SF<15 μg/l). Iron status indices were generally higher than at 1 and 2 y, but correlation was seen between iron status indices at 6 y and earlier values. Haemoglobin

concentration at 6 y was negatively associated with length gain from birth to 1 y (_B_±s.e.=−1.269±0.452; _P_=0.007; adj. _R_2=0.119) (_n_=52), and proportional weight gain from birth to 1 

y was higher among children with SF<15 μg/l at 6 y (295±33%; _n_=10) than those with SF≥15 μg/l (258±31%; _n_=49) (_P_=0.001). MCV at 2 y predicted weight gain from 2 to 6 y

(_B_±s.e.=1.721±0.581; _P_=0.005; adj. _R_2=0.153) (_n_=44); also, children with SF<15 μg/l at 6 y (_n_=9) gained 7.8±1.2 kg from 2 to 6 y, while children with SF≥15 μg/l (_n_=35) gained

9.6±2.8 kg (_P_=0.007), furthermore a difference was seen in proportional weight gain from 2 to 6 y between children with depleted iron stores at 2 y and not, or 156±13 _vs_ 169±18%

(_P_=0.038). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that low iron status at 1 and 2 y might lead to slower growth up to 6 y of age. Low iron status at 1 and 2 y and/or slower growth from 1 and 2 y

up to 6 y might contribute to worse iron status at 6 y, while faster growth in early childhood is related to lower iron status. SPONSORSHIP: The Icelandic Research Council. Access through

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CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS MULTIPLE MICRONUTRIENT SUPPLEMENTATION IMPROVES MICRONUTRIENT STATUS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN HAI PHONG CITY, VIETNAM: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Article Open access 12 February 2021 CHANGES IN OBESITY AND IRON DEFICIENCY BETWEEN 4 AND 9 YEARS OF AGE. LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY (ELOIN) Article 05 August 2022 CONTRIBUTION

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references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank the staff in the laboratories at Landspitali-University Hospital in Reykjavik, Iceland. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Unit for Nutrition

Research, Landspitali — University Hospital and Department of Food Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland B S Gunnarsson & I Thorsdottir * Children's Hospital,

Landspitali — University Hospital, Iceland G Palsson Authors * B S Gunnarsson View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * I Thorsdottir View author

publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * G Palsson View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING

AUTHOR Correspondence to B S Gunnarsson. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION _Guarantors_: BS Gunnarrson. _Contributors_: BSG a nutritionist, who worked on the data collection, calculations and

statistical analysis and the writing of the paper. IT is a professor of human nutrition, she is the project leader, she designed the study and participated actively in data collection,

interpretation of the results and writing of the paper. GP is a paediatrician, he participated in the project planning and took care of all blood sampling. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints

and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Gunnarsson, B., Thorsdottir, I. & Palsson, G. Iron status in 6-y-old children: associations with growth and earlier iron status. _Eur

J Clin Nutr_ 59, 761–767 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602137 Download citation * Received: 22 April 2004 * Revised: 20 December 2004 * Accepted: 26 January 2005 * Published: 11

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haemoglobin (Hb) * serum ferritin (SF) * mean corpuscular volume (MCV) * growth * iron deficiency * depleted iron stores