HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wijaya-Erhardt, M. Articles by Gross, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wijaya-Erhardt, M. Articles by Gross, R. Agricola Articles by Wijaya-Erhardt, M. Articles by Gross, R.

Effect of daily or weekly multiple-micronutrient and iron foodlike tablets on body iron stores of Indonesian infants aged 6–12 mo: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial^1,2,3,4,5

¹ From the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization–Tropical Medicine Regional Center for Community Nutrition, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia (MW-E, JU, EK, and LW); the Institute of Biological Chemistry and Nutrition, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany (JGE); and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Technical Cooperation), Eschborn, Germany (RG)

Background: There is still uncertainty about the best procedure to alleviate iron deficiency. Additionally more reliable methods are needed to assess the effect of iron intervention.

Objective: We examined the efficacy of daily iron (10 mg), daily and weekly multiple-micronutrient supplementation (10 and 20 mg Fe, respectively) in improving body iron stores of Indonesian infants.

Design: Infants aged 6–12 mo were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 groups: daily multiple-micronutrients (DMM) foodlike tablets (foodLETs), weekly multiple-micronutrient (WMM) foodLETs, daily iron (DI) foodLETs, or daily placebo. Hemoglobin, ferritin, transferrin receptors, and C-reactive protein data were obtained at baseline and 23 wk.

Results: Body iron estimated from the ratio of transferrin receptors to ferritin was analyzed for 244 infants. At baseline, mean iron stores (0.5 ± 4.1 mg/kg) did not differ among the groups, and 45.5% infants had deficits in tissue iron (body iron < 0). At week 23, the group DI had the highest increment in mean body iron (4.0 mg/kg), followed by the DMM group (2.3 mg/kg; P < 0.001 for both). The iron stores in the WMM group did not change, whereas the mean body iron declined in the daily placebo group (–2.2 mg/kg; P < 0.001). Compared with the daily placebo group, the DMM group gained 4.55 mg Fe/kg, the DI group gained 6.23 mg Fe/kg (both P < 0.001), and the WMM group gained 2.54 mg Fe/kg (P = 0.001).

Conclusions: When compliance can be ensured, DI and DMM foodLETs are efficacious in improving and WMM is efficacious in maintaining iron stores among Indonesian infants.

Key Words: Iron deficiency • infants • multiple micronutrients • foodlike tablets • foodLETs • Indonesia • body iron stores

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Z. Yang, B. Lonnerdal, S. Adu-Afarwuah, K. H Brown, C. M Chaparro, R. J Cohen, M. Domellof, O. Hernell, A. Lartey, and K. G Dewey Prevalence and predictors of iron deficiency in fully breastfed infants at 6 mo of age: comparison of data from 6 studies Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, May 1, 2009; 89(5): 1433 - 1440. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]