Abstract
Background
To investigate whether a low meat content of complementary food as accepted by EU law increases the risk of well-nourished infants to develop iron deficiency during the complementary feeding period.
Methods
Term born, healthy infants were randomized into a ‘High Meat’ Group (HM, n = 48) receiving commercial baby jars with a meat content of 12% by weight (according to pediatric guidelines), and a ‘Low Meat’ Group (LM, n = 49) receiving meals as marketed (meat 8% by weight, the lowest level of EU law). Intervention was from 4 to 10 months of age. Dietary intake was recorded continuously, repeated blood samples were collected.
Results
Estimated intake of bioavailable iron conformed to reference requirements. In the primary analysis of the total sample, iron status was adequate before (4 months), during (7 months), and after (10 months) the intervention. A secondary analysis in the subgroup of infants fully breast-fed for 4–6 months demonstrated an increased risk of low Hb values with 10 months of age in the LM group.
Interpretation
Present day low meat content of complementary food does not significantly impair iron status in well-nourished infants but may increase the risk of developing marginal iron status in older infants after fully breast-feeding for 4–6 months, i.e., in the subgroup of infants with the lowest habitual iron intake.
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Abbreviations
- BA iron:
-
Bioavailable iron
- BM:
-
Breast milk
- DINO:
-
Dortmund Intervention Trial for Optimization of Infant Nutrition
- DRI:
-
Dietary reference intake
- Fer:
-
Serum-ferritin
- Hb:
-
Hemoglobin
- HM:
-
High-meat
- ID:
-
Iron deficiency
- IDA:
-
Iron deficiency anemia
- LM:
-
Low-meat
- MCH:
-
Mean cell hemoglobin
- MCV:
-
Mean cell volume
- RCT:
-
Randomized controlled trial
- SD:
-
Standard deviation
- TEE:
-
Total energy expenditure
- TfR:
-
Soluble transferrin-receptor
- ZPP:
-
Zinc protoporphyrin
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Acknowledgments
We thank the two pediatricians from Pediatric Clinic, Dortmund, Germany, for medical examination and blood sampling. The authors’ were responsible as follows: M.K. and H.K. for design of the study; K.D. and J.S. conduction of the study and data collection; K.D. draft of the manuscript and statistical analysis; M.K., H.K. and M.J.M. supervision. The study was supported by the Central Marketing Organization of German Agricultural Economics (CMA). Study food was provided by Hipp GmbH and Co. Vertrieb KG and Nestlé Nutrition GmbH. Laboratory analysis of iron biomarkers was performed at the Laborgemeinschaft Dr. Eberhard & Partner, Dortmund, Germany.
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All authors have no conflict of interest.
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Study registration number at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00571948.
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Dube, K., Schwartz, J., Mueller, M.J. et al. Complementary food with low (8%) or high (12%) meat content as source of dietary iron: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial. Eur J Nutr 49, 11–18 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-009-0043-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-009-0043-9