Abstract
Objective
To prevent iron deficiency, 2014 Canadian recommendations for healthy term infants
from 6 to 24 months recommend iron-rich complementary foods such as meat and meat
alternatives 2 or more times a day. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the association
between meat and meat-alternative consumption and iron status in young children and
the association between red meat consumption and iron status among children meeting
recommendations.
Methods
Healthy children aged 12 to 36 months were recruited. A cross-sectional study was
conducted. Meat and meat-alternative consumption was measured using the NutriSTEP
questionnaire. Adjusted multivariable regression analyses were used to evaluate an
association between meat consumption and serum ferritin, and iron deficiency (serum
ferritin <14 μg/L).
Results
A total of 1043 children were included. Seventy-three percent of children met the
recommended daily intake of meat and meat alternatives, and 66% ate red meat in the
past 3 days. Eating meat and meat alternatives was not associated with serum ferritin
(0.13 μg/L, 95% confidence interval −0.05, 0.31, P = .16), but it was associated with a decreased odds of iron deficiency (odds ratio
0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.94, 0.99, P = .03). Associations between red meat consumption and iron status were not statistically
significant. Statistically significant covariates associated with increased odds of
iron deficiency included longer breast-feeding duration, daily cow's milk intake of
>2 cups, and a higher body mass index z score.
Conclusions
Daily cow's milk intake of >2 cups, longer breast-feeding duration, and a higher body
mass index z score were modifiable risk factors associated with iron deficiency. Eating meat according
to recommendations may be a promising additional target for the prevention of iron
deficiency in early childhood.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 19, 2016
Accepted:
January 11,
2016
Received:
March 17,
2015
Footnotes
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Identification
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by Academic Pediatric Association
