THE EFFECT OF IRON IN FORMULA MILK AFTER 6 MONTHS OF AGE

Ninety two normal birthweight infants aged 6 months entered a double blind controlled trial which compared a follow on formula milk with no added iron against the same formula milk containing 1.2 mg of iron per 100 ml. There was no significant difference in the social class or demographic characteristics of the two treatment groups or in the proportion of each group completing the trial. There was no difference between the two groups in the quantity of milk taken but the amounts taken lessened between 6 and 18 months of age. There was no difference between the two groups with respect to mean haemoglobin and median serum ferritin at 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months of age. Very few infants developed iron deficiency anaemia in either group but there was a tendency for serum ferritin levels to fall between 6 and 18 months of age in both groups. The results suggest that iron added to follow on milk was not an important source of dietary iron in the infants studied.