Under Weight Newborns Might get Help through Iron Supplements

A link has been found between the low birth weight of a baby and a higher risk of health problems over the long term during childhood. Those problems included learning disabilities and delays in development.

A study that was just published says that iron supplements administered to underweight newborns might help protect them against certain behavioral problems that are tied to a lower than normal birth weight like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The new research involved over 285 infants who were born with low birth weights, which was defined at between 4.5 and 5.5 pounds. Researchers from Sweden randomly assigned each infant to receive one or 2 milligrams of iron per day or an inactive placebo.

The infants received the daily doses from the age of six weeks until six months. The babies were then analyzed with tests when they reached 3 ½ years of age. Researchers compared their tests to 95 infants who were born with a normal birth weight.

No difference was found in scores for IQ amongst the infants who had low birth weights and those who were born with a normal weight.

For behavioral risks, a bigger difference was evident. Close to 13% of the children with low birth weights who did not take any iron supplements showed evidence of behavioral problems compared to less than 3% of the babies who had taken either 1 or 2 milligrams daily of an iron supplement. Nearly 3% of babies that were born with normal weight also showed signs of behavioral problems.