Has Iron Deficiency Been Shown to Cause Altered Behavior in Infants?

This critical review of the several studies addresses two questions, concentrating primarily on the first and touching briefly on the second: How do the results of studies of iron-deficient infants relate to those in research on other conditions in infancy that are considered to affect behavior and development adversely?

Abstract

Infancy is an especially important age at which to study behavioral effects of iron deficiency. Animal studies indicate that iron deficiency during early development has more lasting effects than similar deficiency during adulthood; neurotransmitter changes, decreases in brain iron content, and behavioral alterations seem to persist despite treatment when iron deficiency anemia occurs in the infant rat, but not in the adult [1]. In the human, iron deficiency is most prevalent among (-24-month-old infants, coinciding with the latter part of the brain growth spurt and with the unfolding of fundamental mental and motor processes [2]. In view of the potential clinical significance, a number of recent studies have focused on the behavior and development of iron-deficient infants. This critical review of the several studies addresses two questions, concentrating primarily on the first and touching briefly on the second: 1. Has iron deficiency been proven to cause behavioral alterations in infants? 2. How do the results of studies of iron-deficient infants relate to those in research on other conditions in infancy that are considered to affect behavior and development adversely?