Study Links Daily Intake of Iron to Improved Birth Weight

When a woman is pregnant iron requirements shoot up significantly. The Daily diet is not   sufficient  for the required dosage and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasize that pregnant woman take daily supplements of iron. A latest study highlights the importance of iron consumption during pregnancy.

The study published on BMJ.com reveals a strong association between consuming adequate iron daily during pregnancy and significant increase in birth weight. Apart from this it also shows that iron supplements prevent  low birth weight in newborns.

According to the World Health Organization, a pregnant woman should take nearly 60 mg of iron daily. This study says that effects of iron consumption were visible when iron doses were up to 66mg per day.  

One of the most widespread nutritional deficiencies in the world is 'Iron deficiency'. Inadequate iron in the body causes anemia during pregnancy, most commonly found in low and middle income countries. In the year 2011, nearly 32 million pregnant women were diagnosed with anemia with this.

Prior to this, several studies have linked prenatal anemia and risk of premature birth. But the evidence on other birth outcomes was inconsistent. They didn't have a clear idea on the effect of prenatal iron consumption and adverse birth outcomes.

In the current study, a team of researchers from the U.S. and UK have done a meta analysis of  nearly 90 studies done on prenatal iron consumption and prenatal anemia, which covered two million women.

They noticed that ion intake significantly increased the mother's average hemoglobin levels when compared to others and it also lowered the risk of anemia.

However, the risk of preterm birth with iron consumption didn't reduce. On analyzing the study they noticed a higher risk of low birth weight and preterm birth with anemia was in the first and second trimester of pregnancy.

They also noticed that with every 10 mg extra iron dose per day the risk of maternal anemia dropped by 12 percent. And birth weight elevated by 15 g and low birth weight reduced by 3 percent.

The authors concluded saying, "Our findings suggest that use of iron in women during pregnancy may be used as a preventive strategy to improve maternal haematological status and birth weight. We call for rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of existing antenatal care programmes in high burden countries to identify gaps in policy and programme implementation."