PEDIATRICS Vol. 22 No. 2 August 1958, pp. 258
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A Quantitative Study of the Absorption of Food Iron in Infants and Children

These papers contain much fundamental information concerning the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia in infants and children. Normal children absorb an average of about 10% of the iron in natural foods and commercially-prepared infant cereals supplemented with iron. Daily intake of iron by an infant receiving a diet which includes optimal amounts of iron-containing foods may be sufficient to meet the iron requirements of the first 18 months of life unless the infant is born with suboptimal stores of iron, suffers blood loss or is born prematurely. Such a hypothetical infant is probably not representative of a large segment of the population. The authors suggest that more data is needed on the results of giving adequate supplemental iron during infancy to determine whether the hematologic values in infancy may be made to correspond more closely to adult values.

Based on the finding of the previous paper that iron supplementation of the diets of many infants may be desirable, studies were undertaken to evaluate the absorption of iron salts by normal and anemic children. Twelve to fifteen percent of a 30 mg dose of ferrous iron given once or twice a day was absorbed by normal children. Iron deficient infants absorb more ferrous iron than do normal infants. The variability between individuals in absorption of food iron and supplemental iron are discussed along with consideration of the dosage of iron salts to be employed in treatment.

The authors state that as no investigations have established the desirability of increasing the normal hematologic values of infants beyond their customary levels of 11 to 13 gm/100 ml, indiscriminate supplementation of normal infants' diets is not recommended. Therapetmtic iron is indicated only if specific evidence of iron deficiency exists and the widespread use of mixtures containing several hematopoietic agents is deplored.