Prenatal iron deficiency may delay brain maturation in preemies

Wednesday May 6, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- Iron deficiency may delay the development of the auditory nervous system in preemies and affect babies' ability to process sound, which further affects later language development in early childhood, according to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Society meeting in Baltimore.

The study of 80 infants over 18 months of age, led by Sanjiv Amin MD at the University of Rochester Medical Center and colleagues, found that the brains of infants with low iron levels in their cord blood had abnormal maturation of the auditory nervous system as compared to their peers with normal cord iron levels.

"Sound isn't transmitted as well through the immature auditory pathway in the brains of premature babies who are deficient in iron as compared to premature babies who have enough iron," said Dr. Amin. "We suspect that if the auditory neural system is affected during developmental phase, then other parts of the brain could also be affected in the presence of iron deficiency."

A press release by University of Rochester Medical Center states "as many as 20 to 30 percent of pregnant women with lower socio-economic status are iron deficient."

It also says that "Iron deficiency in pregnant women can cause anemia, a condition in which there are not enough red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. Anemia can cause a range of problems in pregnancy from exhaustion to preterm labor and low birth weight. But physicians didn't know that an iron deficiency in a fetus may also delay auditory neural maturation which could lead to language problems."

"We are concerned by these findings because of its potential implications for language development," Amin said. "More study is needed to fully understand what this delay in maturation means. This finding at least underscores an already understood need to monitor iron levels in pregnant women."

Foods that are rich in iron include beef, chicken, oysters, shrimp, tuna, black-strap molasses, raisin bran cereal, prune juice, potatoes with skin, lentils, and cashew nuts.

(by David Liu and edited by Heather Kelley)