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The Iron Requirement of the Pre-School Child^*

(From the Division of Home Economics, University of Minnesota, University Farm, St. Paul.)

1. Two iron-balance studies were conducted using four healthy children, one boy and three girls, ranging in age from 35 to 56 months. Iron retentions at two levels of intake were compared.

2. The results of the food analyses indicate that the iron content of foods may show considerable variation from the most commonly used figures. Diets which were planned to contain 5 and 8.5 milligrams of iron actually contained only 3.25 and 6.5 milligrams respectively.

3. On a diet containing 3.25 milligrams of iron, an average of 1.2 milligrams was retained daily, whereas, on a diet containing 6.5 milligrams of iron, 3.2 milligrams, or nearly three times as much as during the period of lower iron intake, were retained.

4. The observed maintenance need of the children in this study was approximately 0.12 milligram per kilogram. It would appear from these results that, on the basis of body weight, the maintenance requirement of the child is similar to that of the adult.

5. The iron requirement for growth, as observed in this study, was approximately 0.2 milligram per kilogram.

6. In view of the differences observed between the actual iron content of the food used and the amounts as calculated from Sherman's tables, and also the pronounced individual differences in the iron requirement of children, it is suggested that a 50 per cent margin of safety be allowed above this observed total requirement of 0.32 milligram per kilogram. This would make a standard allowance for children of this age of 0.48 milligram per kilogram, or 0.62 milligram per 100 calories, or a total of 8.23 milligrams per day.

Manuscript received 19 June 1931.