Chubby Toddlers Don't Get Enough Iron

By Christina Elston

If you've got a pudgy toddler - especially one who's still on the bottle - your child might not be getting enough iron. And that could mean mental and behavioral delays.

A study reported in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics found that 20 percent of obese toddlers have iron deficiency, compared with just 7 percent of their slimmer peers. Researchers also found that toddlers who are still drinking milk and juice from a bottle, rather than being weaned onto an iron-rich diet, are most at risk.

The earlier an iron deficiency is detected, the easier it is to reverse, according to Jane Brotanek, M.D., co-author of the study. But detecting it might not be so easy.

Iron deficiency in children does not generally have specific signs or symptoms, says Brotanek, a pediatrics professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. That's because the body's iron supply is depleted slowly over time, she says. When iron deficiency becomes serious enough to restrict the production of red blood cells or to cause anemia, adverse neurologic effects could have already occurred, she says.

Symptoms of iron deficiency anemia include:

• Fatigue and weakness


• Pallor


• Irritability


• Dizziness/feeling lightheaded


• Pica (the urge to eat non-food substances, such as dirt or crayons)

Most infants and toddlers don't reach this level, but even those with simple iron deficiency are in danger of deficits in mental and motor function. Brotanek cites one study that revealed lower standardized math scores among iron-deficient school-age children; while another study showed that giving iron supplements to iron-deficient infants significantly improved their motor and cognitive development.

"Studies also document that children with chronic iron deficiency in infancy can suffer mental and motor function deficits that persist for more than 10 years," she says.