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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Intermittent Iron Supplementation for Improving Nutrition and Development in Children under 12 Years of Age

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Systematic Review

Source: The Cochrane Collaborative

Last Reviewed: December 2011

Workgroups: Nutrition and Weight Status Workgroup

In this Cochrane systematic review, the Cochrane Collaborative found that intermittent iron supplementation reduced the risk of anemia and iron deficiency in children younger than 12 years. The review included studies in which children got supplements 1 to 3 times a week, either with iron alone or with other vitamins and minerals. Researchers noted that intermittent iron supplementation is less effective than daily supplementation for preventing or controlling anemia but could be a viable intervention when daily supplementation has failed.

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Objectives related to this resource (1)

Reduce iron deficiency in children aged 1 to 2 years — NWS‑16
Baseline only

Suggested Citation

1.

De-Regil, L. M., Jefferds, M. E., Sylvetsky, A. C., & Dowswell, T. (2011). Intermittent iron supplementation for improving nutrition and development in children under 12 years of age. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2011 (12). DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009085.pub2