An Overview of Iron in Term Breast-Fed Infants

BACKGROUND: Iron is an essential nutrient for normal growth and neurodevelopment of infants. Iron deficiency (ID) remains the most common micronutrient deficiency worldwide. There are convincing data that ID is associated with negative effects on neurological and psychomotor development. OBJECTIVES: In this review, we provide an overview of current knowledge of the importance of iron in normal term breast-fed infants with a focus on recommendations, metabolism, and iron requirements. CONCLUSIONS: Health organizations around the world recommend the introduction of iron-rich foods or iron supplements for growing infants to prevent ID. However, there is no routine screening for ID in infancy. Multicenter trials with long-term follow-up are needed to investigate the association between iron fortification/supplementation and various health outcomes.