Iron Requirement in Early Childhood

The Etiology and the Effects of Minor Grades of Anaemia in Young Children: Studies at a Group of War-Time Day Nurseries

“…No generally accepted figure exists for the iron requirements ofyoung children, but the ' recommended daily allowance ' for children aged one to three years in the report of the Committee on Food and Nutrition (1941) of the U.S.A. National Research Council is 7 mg. daily. This accords with the views of various independent investigators (Rose et al, 1930, Leichsenring and Flor, 1932, Daniels and Wright, 1934, though one writer (Porter, 1941) has put the requirement at about half this amount. The allowance advised for an infant of five months of age by Stearns and Stringer (1937), is over 6 mg. daily, and their work is supported by the findings of Oldham and Schlutz (1937).…”

Recommended Dietary Allowances

“…Oldham, et al (63) concluded that in the case of two five-year-old boys studied, 30 This amount seems generous, but a lower allowance is felt unwarranted in view of the limited character of present studies and of the imphcation of these studies that children require somewhat more riboflavin per kilogram than adults.…”

“…Various such studies have been made; the most extensive have been those of Knott and coworkers (54). These authors suggest 30 Thus it appears that the minimum requirement for the infant in relation to calories is very similar to that of the adult.…”

Utilization of Organic and Inorganic Iron by the Normal Infant

“…The intake of iron (0.3 to 0.4 mg. per kilogram) in the early part of the study was low as compared to the requirement of preschool children of 0.5 to 0.6 mg. per kilogram as recommended by Rose and her associates, 25 Leichsenring and Flor26 and Daniels and Wright.27 However, Elvehjem and his collaborators lc considered it necessary that subminimal amounts of iron be fed if the availability of the iron is under consideration. Accordingly, in the first twelve periods the intake was as low as seemed advisable when the health of the child was taken into consideration.…”