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Effect of infant feeding practices on iron status in a cohort study of Bolivian infants
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Mar 12 2018
Source: BMC Pediatr. 18.
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Alternative Title:BMC Pediatr
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Description:Background Iron deficiency (ID) is the most common micronutrient deficiency worldwide, with potentially severe consequences on child neurodevelopment. Though exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is recommended for 6Ā months, breast milk has low iron content. This study aimed to estimate the effect of the length of EBF on iron status at 6 ā 8Ā months of age among a cohort of Bolivian infants. Methods Mother-infant pairs were recruited from 2 hospitals in El Alto, Bolivia, and followed from one through 6 ā 8Ā months of age. Singleton infants >ā34Ā weeks gestational age, iron-sufficient at baseline, and completing blood draws at 2 and 6 ā 8Ā months of age were eligible for inclusion (Nā=ā270). Ferritin was corrected for the effect of inflammation. ID was defined as inflammation-corrected ferritin <ā12 μg/L, and anemia was defined as altitude-corrected hemoglobin <ā11Ā g/dL; IDA was defined as ID plus anemia. The effect of length of EBF (infant received only breast milk with no other liquids or solids, categorized as <ā4, 4 ā 6, and >ā6Ā months) was assessed for ID, IDA, and anemia (logistic regression) and ferritin (Fer) and hemoglobin (Hb, linear regression). Results Low iron status was common among infants at 6 ā 8Ā months: 56% of infants were ID, 76% were anemic, and 46% had IDA. EBF of 4Ā months and above was significantly associated with ID as compared with EBFā<āĀ 4Ā months (4 ā 6Ā months: OR 2.0 [1.1 ā 3.4]; >ā6Ā months: 3.3 [1.0 ā 12.3]), but not with IDA (4 ā 6Ā months: OR 1.4 [0.8 ā 2.4]; >ā6Ā months: 2.2 [0.7 ā 7.4]), or anemia (4 ā 6Ā months: OR 1.4 [0.7 ā 2.5]; >ā6Ā months: 1.5 [0.7 ā 7.2]). Fer and Hb concentrations were significantly lower with increasing months of EBF. Conclusions Results suggest a relationship between prolonged EBF and ID, but are not sufficient to support changes to current breastfeeding recommendations. More research is needed in diverse populations, including exploration of early interventions to address infant IDA. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12887-018-1066-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Pubmed ID:29530004
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC5848561
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