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Associations of iron status with dietary and other factors in 6-year-old children

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 61, pages 398–403 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To investigate the associations of iron status at 6 years of age with dietary and other factors.

Design:

In a cross-sectional study, children's dietary intakes (3-day weighed food record) were recorded, body size was measured and blood samples were taken near their sixth birthday.

Subjects:

A sample of 188 children, from two previous studies (cohorts 1 and 2), was contacted, and 139 (74%) agreed to participate.

Results:

Multiple regression analyses with dietary and other factors showed that meat and fish consumption, multivitamin/mineral supplement intake (both positively) and cow's milk product consumption (negatively) were associated with log serum ferritin (SF) (adjusted R2=0.125; P=0.028; n=129), and juices and residence (rural>urban) with haemoglobin (Hb) (adjusted R2=0.085; P=0.034; n=127). Of 21 multivitamin/mineral consumers, none had depleted iron stores compared to 21 iron-depleted of 108 non-consumers (P=0.024). Children living in rural areas (<10 000 inhabitants) (n=33) had higher mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (83.3±2.3 fl) than those living in urban areas (>10 000 inhabitants) (82.1±3.2 fl; n=103) (P=0.048). Multiple regression analyses with dietary and other factors and growth showed in cohort 1 that residence (rural>urban), weight gain 0–1years (negatively), and meat and fish intake (positively) were associated with Hb (adjusted R2=0.323; P=0.030; n=51), meat and fish (positively) with both log SF (adjusted R2=0.069; P=0.035; n=52) and MCV (adjusted R2=0.064; P=0.035; n=52), and in cohort 2 cow's milk product consumption (negatively) was associated with log SF (adjusted R2=0.119; P=0.017; n=41) and residence (rural>urban) with MCV (adjusted R2=0.102; P=0.025; n=41).

Conclusions:

Consumption of meat and fish and possibly also juices, as well as multivitamin/mineral intake might affect iron status in 6-year-old children positively, whereas cow's milk product consumption might affect iron status negatively. Slower growth in the first year of life and rural residence are positively related to iron status of 6-year-olds.

Sponsorship:

The Icelandic Research Council.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff at the laboratories of Landspitali – University Hospital in Reykjavik, Iceland.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Landspitali-University Hospital & Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Unit for Nutrition Research, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland

    B S Gunnarsson & I Thorsdottir

  2. Children's Hospital, Landspitali – University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland

    G Palsson

Authors
  1. B S Gunnarsson
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  2. I Thorsdottir
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  3. G Palsson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to B S Gunnarsson.

Additional information

Guarantor: BS Gunnarsson.

Contributors: BSG is a nutritionist. BSG worked on the data collection, calculations and statistical analysis and the writing of the paper. IT is a professor of human nutrition. IT is the project leader; she designed the study and participated actively in data collection, interpretation of the results and writing of the paper. GP is a paediatrician; he participated in the project planning and took care of all blood sampling.

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Gunnarsson, B., Thorsdottir, I. & Palsson, G. Associations of iron status with dietary and other factors in 6-year-old children. Eur J Clin Nutr 61, 398–403 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602529

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602529

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