QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Allen, L. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Allen, L. H.

---

Supplement: Forging Effective Strategies to Combat Iron Deficiency

Iron Supplements: Scientific Issues Concerning Efficacy and Implications for Research and Programs^{1 ,2}

Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616

³To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dept. of Nutrition, Univ. of California, Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616-8669. E-mail: lhallen{at}ucdavis.edu.

Iron supplementation remains an important strategy for the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia and can produce substantial improvements in the functional performance of iron deficient individuals and populations. Many potential benefits of iron supplementation require further exploration, including its effect on vitamin A and iodine metabolism. There is strong evidence that vitamin A and riboflavin deficiencies affect iron utilization from supplements and are important on a global scale, but little evidence that folate and vitamin B-12 deficiencies play a major causal role in the global burden of anemia. The efficacy of multiple micronutrient supplements for the prevention and treatment of anemia must be further evaluated. Because weekly supplementation with iron is effective at improving iron status, this option should be thoroughly explored and evaluated in the context of programs for the prevention and the treatment of iron deficiency and anemia. More conformation is warranted concerning the number of tablets that must be consumed in different situations, and the efficacy of supplying other micronutrients weekly with iron. Weekly supplementation programs may improve the logistical and economic constraints that currently limit the provision of supplements to the many target population groups for whom they are recommended, but usually fail to reach. Further work is required to clarify the purpose, delivery and outcomes of iron supplementation programs.

KEY WORDS: • iron deficiency • iron deficiency anemia • iron supplements • micronutrient deficiencies

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. T. Nga, P. Winichagoon, M. A. Dijkhuizen, N. C. Khan, E. Wasantwisut, H. Furr, and F. T. Wieringa Multi-Micronutrient-Fortified Biscuits Decreased Prevalence of Anemia and Improved Micronutrient Status and Effectiveness of Deworming in Rural Vietnamese School Children J. Nutr., May 1, 2009; 139(5): 1013 - 1021. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Wijaya-Erhardt, J. G Erhardt, J. Untoro, E. Karyadi, L. Wibowo, and R. Gross Effect of daily or weekly multiple-micronutrient and iron foodlike tablets on body iron stores of Indonesian infants aged 6 12 mo: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, December 1, 2007; 86(6): 1680 - 1686. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C R Wall, C C Grant, N Taua, C Wilson, and J M D Thompson Milk versus medicine for the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia in hospitalised infants Arch. Dis. Child., October 1, 2005; 90(10): 1033 - 1038. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. F. Walker, K. Kordas, R. J Stoltzfus, and R. E Black Interactive effects of iron and zinc on biochemical and functional outcomes in supplementation trials Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, July 1, 2005; 82(1): 5 - 12. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. E Moriarty-Craige, U. Ramakrishnan, L. Neufeld, J. Rivera, and R. Martorell Multivitamin-mineral supplementation is not as efficacious as is iron supplementation in improving hemoglobin concentrations in nonpregnant anemic women living in Mexico Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, November 1, 2004; 80(5): 1308 - 1311. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. P. Murphy and L. H. Allen Nutritional Importance of Animal Source Foods J. Nutr., November 1, 2003; 133(11): 3932S - 3935. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. L. Neuhouser Dietary Supplement Use by American Women: Challenges in Assessing Patterns of Use, Motives and Costs J. Nutr., June 1, 2003; 133(6): 1992S - 1996. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Zlotkin, P. Arthur, C. Schauer, K. Y. Antwi, G. Yeung, and A. Piekarz Home-Fortification with Iron and Zinc Sprinkles or Iron Sprinkles Alone Successfully Treats Anemia in Infants and Young Children J. Nutr., April 1, 2003; 133(4): 1075 - 1080. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Trowbridge and R. Martorell Summary and Recommendations J. Nutr., April 1, 2002; 132(4): 875S - 879. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]