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Prenatal iron boosts child development
Source: Agencies |
December 23, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
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CHILDREN in rural Nepal whose mothers were given iron and folic acid supplements during pregnancy were smarter, more organized and had better fine motor skills than children whose mothers did not get them, according to US researchers.
They said ensuring that pregnant women get this basic prenatal care could have a big effect on the educational futures of children who live in poor communities where iron deficiency is common.
"Iron is essential for the development of the central nervous system," said Parul Christian, an expert in health at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in the world, affecting 2 billion people, said the World Health Organization.
Christian's team studied 676 school-age °?children, up to the age of nine, whose mothers had been in a clinical trial in which some got iron and folic acid supplements and other nutrients while they were pregnant.
"What we showed is prenatal iron and folic acid supplementation had a significant impact on the offspring's intellectual level and motor ability and ability during school age," she said.
She added that many children in poor communities would benefit from better prenatal programs that include the low-cost nutritional supplements.
They said ensuring that pregnant women get this basic prenatal care could have a big effect on the educational futures of children who live in poor communities where iron deficiency is common.
"Iron is essential for the development of the central nervous system," said Parul Christian, an expert in health at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in the world, affecting 2 billion people, said the World Health Organization.
Christian's team studied 676 school-age °?children, up to the age of nine, whose mothers had been in a clinical trial in which some got iron and folic acid supplements and other nutrients while they were pregnant.
"What we showed is prenatal iron and folic acid supplementation had a significant impact on the offspring's intellectual level and motor ability and ability during school age," she said.
She added that many children in poor communities would benefit from better prenatal programs that include the low-cost nutritional supplements.
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