Obese Toddlers Face Greater Risk of Iron Deficiency

According to a new study published in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics, obese toddlers are at a higher risk of having iron deficiency than are normal-weight toddlers. The study also found that Hispanic toddlers have a greater risk of developing the condition than do children of other races. While obesity has been linked to iron deficiency through previous research, this is the first study of its kind to find a link between obesity and iron deficiency in children as young as age one.

Iron deficiency is very common. In fact, it is the most common form of nutritional deficiency. Iron is a vital nutrient of our bodies. It has many important roles. Perhaps the most important role is the transportation of oxygen through hemoglobin from the lungs to the many tissues of the body. When are bodies have too little iron, we subsequently have too little oxygen. Iron deficiency can be quite severe leading to everything from fatigue to the development of iron deficiency anemia.

Iron deficiency in children can be particularly dangerous for many reasons. For one, it is sometimes hard to detected. Children can be seemingly healthy and still be iron deficient. Also, children are rarely tested for it. Often times, iron deficiency is not detected until it becomes severe. Another reason iron deficiency is so dangerous particularly in toddlers is because it interferes with development. Iron deficiency can impair both physical and mental development in children.

In the study, researchers looked at data collected by the National Heath and Nutrition Examination Survey which took place between 1999 and 2002. The data included that of 960 toddlers aged one to three who all had three blood tests for iron deficiency. Researchers found that twenty percent of obese toddlers had iron deficiency while just seven percent of normal-weight toddlers had the condition. Hispanic toddlers were found to be more at risk for iron deficiency than are children of other races. Researchers found that twelve percent of Hispanic toddlers were iron deficient while just six percent of white children and six percent of black children had the condition. Researchers also found that toddlers who attended daycare or preschool were fifty percent less likely to have iron deficiency.

Although that study does not give any answers about the findings, researchers are offering their theories. Experts believe that the obesity-iron deficiency link is due to poor dietary practices. More specifically, experts believe it is due to not weaning children from the bottle early enough and feeding them junk food. Children who continue to drink from a bottle often drink too much low-iron liquids such as milk or juice and don't get enough iron-rich solids such as meat and eggs. A diet high in junk food is also low in iron and high in calories, contributing to both obesity and iron deficiency. Researchers believe the reason children in daycare are less likely to be iron deficient is because day care providers are more likely to be vigilant of dietary practices. Also, experts believe the reason Hispanic toddlers have a higher rate of iron deficiency is because other studies have pointed to that fact that they are more likely to be obese as well as to not attend day care.

Experts want the findings to be a wake-up call to parents. The findings of the study are a reminder of how important healthy dietary practices are. The findings also shed light on the importance of routine childhood tests for iron deficiency. The vast majority of doctors do not routinely test children for iron deficiency. Researchers are hoping that in the near future, testing for iron deficiency in toddlers will become common place.

Source

Associated Press