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American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 77, No. 4, 924-930, April 2003
© 2003 American Society for Clinical Nutrition


Original Research Communication

Maternal iron status influences iron transfer to the fetus during the third trimester of pregnancy1,2,3

Kimberly O O’Brien, Nelly Zavaleta, Steven A Abrams and Laura E Caulfield

1 From the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore (KOO and LEC); the Instituto de Investigacion Nutricional, Lima, Peru (NZ); and the US Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston (SAA).

Background: The effect of maternal iron status on fetal iron deposition is uncertain.

Objective: We used a unique stable-isotope technique to assess iron transfer to the fetus in relation to maternal iron status.

Design: The study group comprised 41 Peruvian women. Of these women, 26 received daily prenatal supplements containing iron and folate (n = 11; Fe group) or iron, folate, and zinc (n = 15; Fe+Zn group) from week 10–24 of pregnancy to 1 mo postpartum. The remaining 15 women (control group) received iron supplementation only during the final month of pregnancy. During the third trimester of pregnancy ( ± SD: 32.9 ± 1.4 wk gestation) oral 57Fe (10 mg) and intravenous 58Fe (0.6 mg) stable iron isotopes were administered to the women, and isotope enrichment and iron-status indicators were measured in cord blood at delivery.

Results: The net amount of 57Fe in the neonates’ circulation (from maternal oral dosing) was significantly related to maternal iron absorption (P < 0.005) and inversely related to maternal iron status during the third trimester of pregnancy: serum ferritin (P < 0.0001), serum folate (P < 0.005), and serum transferrin receptors (P < 0.02). Significantly more 57Fe was transferred to the neonates in non-iron-supplemented women: 0.112 ± 0.031 compared with 0.078 ± 0.042 mg in the control group (n = 15) and the Fe and Fe+Zn groups (n = 24), respectively (P < 0.01). In contrast, 58Fe tracer in the neonates’ circulation was not significantly related to maternal iron status.

Conclusion: The transfer of dietary iron to the fetus is regulated in response to maternal iron status at the level of the gut.

Key Words: Iron • iron status • anemia • prenatal supplements • stable isotopes • neonates • cord blood • women • Peru




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