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This Article Full Text (Publish Ahead of Print[PDF]) All Versions of this Article: 89/1/185    most recent ajcn.2008.26887v1 Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted 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 Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Domellöf, M. Articles by Lönnerdal, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Domellöf, M. Articles by Lönnerdal, B. Agricola Articles by Domellöf, M. Articles by Lönnerdal, B.

Iron supplementation does not affect copper and zinc absorption in breastfed infants^1,2,3

¹ From the Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden (MD and OH); the US Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service's Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (SAA and ZC); and the Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA (BL).

² Supported by the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences, and Spatial Planning; the Västerbotten County Council; the Oskar Foundation; and the Jerring Foundation.

³ Address reprint requests and correspondence to M Domellöf, Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umeå University, SE 90185 Umeå, Sweden. E-mail: magnus.domellof{at}pediatri.umu.se.

ABSTRACT

Background: Iron supplements are commonly recommended for infants but were suggested to inhibit zinc and copper absorption.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate potential effects of iron supplementation, infant age, and mineral status on zinc and copper absorption in infants at 6 and 9 mo of age.

Design: Twenty-five healthy breastfed term infants were recruited from a larger randomized iron supplementation trial. Six of these infants received iron supplements (1 mg · kg^–1 · d^–1) from 4 to 9 mo, 8 were supplemented from 6 to 9 mo, and 11 received placebo only. Zinc and copper absorption was measured at 6 and 9 mo of age, using orally administered ⁷⁰Zn and ⁶⁵Cu and fecal monitoring of recovered stable isotopes.

Results: Mean (±SD) zinc absorption was 51.9 ± 17.9%, and mean copper absorption was 79.0 ± 13.5%. No significant difference was observed in zinc or copper absorption between 6 and 9 mo of age. When combining all measurements, no significant effect of prior iron supplementation was observed on zinc or copper absorption. No significant correlation was observed between plasma zinc and zinc absorption or between plasma copper and copper absorption. No significant correlation was observed between erythrocyte copper-zinc–dependent superoxide dismutase activity and copper absorption.

Conclusions: The study does not support the contention that iron supplements inhibit the absorption of zinc or copper in healthy breastfed infants at 6–9 mo of age. In addition, we did not find any age-related changes in zinc or copper absorption between 6 and 9 mo of age.

Received for publication August 27, 2008. Accepted for publication October 6, 2008.