Association between composition of the diet and haemoglobin and ferritin levels in 18-month-old children

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the associations between composition of the diet at 18 months of age and ferritin and haemoglobin levels. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: A total of 796 children taking part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ALSPAC). Main outcome measures: Food and nutrient intakes and haemoglobin and ferritin levels at 18 months. Methods: Diet was assessed by a 3-day unweighed food record. A heel-prick capillary blood sample was taken for measurement of ferritin and haemoglobin. Results: Ferritin levels were negatively associated with the amount of cows' milk consumed (r 7 0.2462, P`0.001) and calcium intake (equivalent to a 4 ± 5% drop in ferritin levels for a 100 mg increase in energyadjusted calcium intake). Haemoglobin levels were positively associated with energy-adjusted vitamin C intake and were higher in children who ate any fruit (P 0.024) or any vegetables (P 0.030). The associations between nutrient intakes and ferritin and haemoglobin levels remained on adjustment for socio-demographic factors. The prevalence of low haemoglobin levels was higher in those children who consumed no meat or poultry (28.8% vs 19.0% overall, P 0.044). Conclusions: Higher levels of milk and dairy product consumption are associated with lower ferritin levels in children of this age, and over-reliance on these foods should be avoided. Fruit and vegetable consumption should be encouraged, and the inclusion of a little meat or ®sh in the diet of small children is advisable.

Tea consumption and iron status

“…In a later study with NDNS data (Thane et al, 2000) tea consumption, included in the model as a binary variable, was not significantly associated with serum ferritin and=or haemoglobin concentrations after adjusting for age and gender. Another study (Cowin et al, 2001) compared haemoglobin and ferritin concentrations of children who did or did not consume various food groups. Tea consumption was not associated with low haemoglobin or ferritin concentrations.…”

Dietary assessment in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children

“…Measurements and samples obtained from the children in the clinic setting allowed an assessment of the relationship between diet at 18 months, from diet records and blood iron status (Cowin et al, 2001). This showed that some foods and nutrients were associated with an enhanced iron status (vitamin C, fruit, vegetables and formula), whereas others were associated with a decreased iron status (calcium, milk).…”

“…The electronic version of the food tables contains a variable that can be used to group foods together to facilitate analysis of the contribution of different food types to overall nutrient intake. Grouping foods in this way and in other combinations designed for specific purposes, for example, to investigate energy dense foods or dairy-containing foods, has added greatly to the usefulness of the dietary data in ALSPAC (Cowin et al, 2001;Rogers and Emmett, 2003;Rogers et al, 2007). For FFQ data, food groups were built into the questionnaire so that they could be used without further work (Rogers et al, 1998a, b).…”

Consumo de leite de vaca e anemia ferropriva na infância

“…54 Some authors have observed that ferritin levels are higher among children less than one year old who consumed infant formula fortified with iron, together with other foods, which may be due to the higher quantity of iron, especially if these formulae have a lower concentration of proteins and calcium. 32,55,56 In contrast, when pasteurized cows milk is offered with other foods, there may be iron absorption inhibition and children receive exaggerated quantities of proteins and electrolytes. [57][58][59] One further factor to be pointed out is that, when cows milk becomes the principal food offered to a child, contributing a large proportion of the calories in the diet, other iron-rich foods cease to be offered.…”