The Effects of Iron Supplementation and ADHD in Infants and Toddlers

Having a low birth weight (LBW) baby can be a scary experience. The thoughts of your precious newborn having possible health issues due to an early delivery and/or low birth weight can weigh on your mind. Many studies have been done on pre-term infants and low birth weight infants to see if it could be linked to delayed learning, cognitive development, and many other issues.

A study you might find interesting was done on 285 LBW infants that weighed between 4.4 to 5.5 lbs. Typically, babies that are LBW will be iron deficient. The study was performed to show if LBW infants who receive iron supplementation will have a lower risk of developing ADHD or other behavioral issues later on in life.

During the study the group of LBW infants were given iron supplements of 0, 1, or 2 mg/kg each day from 6 weeks to 6 months of age. When the children were 3.5 years old, along with 95 infants of normal birth weight (control group), were given a psychometric test and a questionnaire on behavioral problems. Scientists discovered there was no notable differences in IQ, but there were differences with behavioral issues, including ADHD.

It was discovered that 12.7% of LBW babies that were given no iron supplements displayed signs of behavioral issues, compared to the 2.9% of kids in the 1-mg group, 2.7% in the 2-mg group, and 3.2% in the control group.

Iron supplementation if found to be very important in an infant’s continued development even after birth. A great iron supplement for your baby would be Pharmics’ Ferretts IPS, it is non constipating, gentle, well absorbed and is a much better choice than ferrous sulfate. Choosing the best for your baby is important so do your research and take comfort in knowing that Pharmics is there to provide the very best.