Why Iron Deficiency Is Important in Infant Development
Open accessAbstract
Infants who experience iron deficiency during the first 6-12 mo of life are likely to experience persistent effects of the deficiency that alter functioning in adulthood. A lack of sufficient iron intake may significantly delay the development of the central nervous system as a result of alterations in morphology, neurochemistry, and bioenergetics. Depending on the stage of development at the time of iron deficiency, there may be an opportunity to reverse adverse effects, but the success of repletion efforts appear to be time dependent. Publications in the past several years describe the emerging picture of the consequences of iron deficiency in both human and animal studies. The mechanisms for iron accumulation in the brain and perhaps redistribution are being understood. The data in human infants are consistent with altered myelination of white matter, changes in monoamine metabolism in striatum, and functioning of the hippocampus. Rodent studies also show effects of iron deficiency during gestation and lactation that persist into adulthood despite restoration of iron status at weaning. These studies indicate that gestation and early lactation are likely critical periods when iron deficiency will result in long-lasting damage.
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Iron deficiency has a negative effect on learning and memory, neurotransmitter synthesis such as dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, GABA, and acts as an enzyme co-factor.
“Its deficiency has a negative effect on learning and memory, neurotransmitter synthesis such as dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and acts as an enzyme co-factor [96,97].”
From Maternal Overnutrition and Fetal Programming: Long-Term Metabolic, Cognitive, and Epigenetic Consequences (2026) · cites this paper as [96]
Iron is essential for neuronal development, myelination of nerve fibers, mitochondrial function, and hippocampus development.
“Iron is very important for neuronal development and is essential for the myelination of nerve fibers, mitochondrial function, and hippocampus development.”
From Maternal Overnutrition and Fetal Programming: Long-Term Metabolic, Cognitive, and Epigenetic Consequences (2026) · cites this paper as [96]
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Self-citationPre- and postweaning iron deficiency alters myelination in Sprague-Dawley rats
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Self-citationNeonatal Iron Deficiency Results in Irreversible Changes in Dopamine Function in Rats
Beard, J., Erikson, K. M., & Jones, B. C. (2003) · The Journal of Nutrition · doi:10.1093/jn/133.4.1174 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
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Metabolic response to iron deficiency in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
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- Authors
- Beard, J. L.
- Affiliations
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Beard, John L.
- Venue
- The Journal of Nutrition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2008-12
- Volume
- 138
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 2534-2536
- ISSN
- 0022-3166 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3415871
- OpenAlex
- W1900398268
- Cited by
- 316
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 27
- FWCI
- 13.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD050254, HD 050254, HD 39386, P01HD039386)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Iron Metabolism and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Infant Nutrition and Health
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Trace Elements in Health
- Keywords
- iron deficiency, infant development, central nervous system development, brain iron accumulation, white matter myelination, monoamine metabolism, hippocampus, gestation, lactation, iron repletion, neurodevelopmental effects, rodent models
- MeSH terms
- Iron Deficiencies, Animals, Brain, Child Development, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Pregnancy, Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem, Anemia, Iron-Deficiency, Iron, Dietary
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