Children miss out on iron

AN Australia-wide diet survey of infants and children aged six months to two years old has found all infants and a quarter of toddlers are failing to meet the recommended daily iron intake.

The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute study was based on interviews with 1100 parents, who documented their children’s diets.

While the report showed the majority were getting the right amount of most nutrients, there was one glaring problem. “We found 90 per cent of infants 6-12 months old were consuming far less iron per day than the recommended amount,” Dr Merryn Netting said.

“Not getting enough iron is a concern because we know iron deficiency negatively impacts overall development. It can also cause tiredness, loss of appetite as well as poor growth and lead to anaemia, a condition that reduces oxygen in the body.”

The recommendation is based on the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines that recommend infants consume 7mg of iron daily. To achieve this amount of iron, infants need to eat around 300g of beef or 400g of fortified cereal.