Absorption and Loss of Iron in Toddlers Are Highly Correlated1,2

Journal of Nutrition, The, April, 2005 by Fomon, Samuel J; Nelson, Steven E; Serfass, Robert E; Ziegler, Ekhard E

ABSTRACT

For estimating the requirements for dietary iron, it is important to know the amount of iron that is lost from the body. Inevitable losses of iron have been determined in adult humans but not in infants or children. We administered ^sup 58^Fe, the least abundant stable isotope of iron, to free-living infants at 168 d of age (5.6 mo) and followed them to age 26 mo. There was no dietary restriction after isotope administration. Blood was obtained at regular intervals for determination of isotopic enrichment and indices of iron status. We estimated the quantity of circulating iron, noncirculating active iron, and storage iron at each age. The administered isotope equilibrated with total body iron by 13 mo of age. From 13 to 26 mo of age, we estimated inevitable loss and...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Premium Content Partnership | HighBeam Research provides an in-depth online archive library of reference works.