Australia; International; SA
Breastfed infants are at risk of iron deficiency which can impact their development but a new study, which includes Aussie authors, has found no benefit to giving breastfed babies iron supplements. The trial, conducted in Poland and Sweden, involved around 200 babies given either iron supplements or a non-active placebo in water or breastmilk each day from the age of four to nine months. The authors found no effect on development in the first three years of life and also found that the iron supplement did not reduce the risk of iron deficiency, which was low in both groups. The authors say this supports European guidelines which recommend that there is no need for general iron supplementation among healthy infants of normal birth weight in settings where rates of iron deficiency anaemia are low.
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