Complementary Feeding and Iron Status: “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” Infants

Abstract

The complementary feeding (CF) period that takes place between 6 and 24 months of age is of key importance for nutritional and developmental reasons during the transition from exclusively feeding on milk to family meals. In 2021, a multidisciplinary panel of experts from four Italian scientific pediatric societies elaborated a consensus document on CF, focusing in particular on healthy term infants. The aim was to provide healthcare providers with useful guidelines for clinical practice. Complementary feeding is also the time window when iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are most prevalent. Thus, it is appropriate to address the problem of iron deficiency through nutritional interventions. Adequate iron intake during the first two years is critical since rapid growth in that period increases iron requirements per kilogram more than at any other developmental stage. Complementary foods should be introduced at around six months of age, taking into account infant iron status.

Growth, Nutritional Status, and Dietary Intake Patterns Associated With Prolonged Breastfeeding in Young Korean Children: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

“… 8 9 10 Thus, expert committees have emphasized the need for the appropriate introduction of iron-fortified complementary foods (CFs) while breastfeeding. 11 12 Moreover, the AAP recommends iron supplementation from 4 months of age, especially for exclusively breastfed infants. 13 …”

Systematic Literature Review of the Nutrient Status, Intake, and Diet Quality of Chinese Children across Different Age Groups

“…This review found that the highest anemia and ID prevalence were in children under 1 year old, especially from 6 to 12 months. It is recognized in the literature that at this age, during the complementary feeding phase, when foods are introduced to complement milk feeding, there is an increased risk of nutrient deficiencies, especially ID and IDA [ 114 ]. The prevalence of anemia in children under 6 months was found to be 46.1% in one study conducted in three national counties with high poverty levels.…”

Anemia among Syrian Refugee Children Aged 6 to 23 Months Living in Greater Beirut, Lebanon, including the Voices of Mothers’ and Local Healthcare Staff: A Mixed-Methods Study

“…The pre-agricultural diet had been estimated to have been high in iron and meeting infant and toddler nutrient requirements [ 81 ]. Modern diets often deprive children of iron—the trace element functioning as an oxygen binder in hemoglobin within the red blood cell and serving as an essential nutrient for main metabolic pathways.…”