APPLIED NUTRITIONAL INVESTIGATION Effectiveness of Treatment of Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Infants and Young Children With

Forty infants, 6 to 36 mo old, with iron-deficiency anemia (hemoglobin, 11 g/dL) were matched and assigned to two groups. One group received FeS04 and the other received ferrous bis-glycinate chelate at a dose of 5 mg of Fe daily per kilogram of body weight for 28 d. Both groups had significant hemoglobin increases (P, 0.001), but only the group treated with ferrous bis-glycinate chelate had significant increases (P, 0.005) in plasma ferritin. Apparent iron bioavailabilities were calculated at 26.7 % for FeS04 and 90.9 % for ferrous bis-glycinate chelate. Regression analysis indicated that absorption of both sources of iron were similarly regulated by the body according to changes in hemoglobin. We concluded that ferrous bis-glycinate chelate is the iron of choice for the treatment of infants with iron-deficiency anemia because of its high bioavailability and good regulation. Nutrition 2001;17:381–384. ©Elsevie