Obese Toddlers Face Greater Risk of Iron Deficiency

According to a new study published in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics, obese toddlers are at a higher risk of having iron deficiency than are normal-weight toddlers. The study also found that Hispanic toddlers have a greater risk of developing the condition than do children of other races. While obesity has been linked to iron deficiency through previous research, this is the first study of its kind to find a link between obesity and iron deficiency in children as young as age one.

Iron deficiency is very common. In fact, it is the most common form of nutritional deficiency. Iron is a vital nutrient of our bodies. It has many important roles. Perhaps the most important role is the transportation of oxygen through hemoglobin from the lungs to the many tissues of the body. When are bodies have too little iron, we subsequently have too little oxygen. Iron deficiency can be quite severe leading to everything from fatigue to the development of iron deficiency anemia.

Iron deficiency in children can be particularly dangerous for many reasons. For one, it is sometimes hard to detected. Children can be seemingly healthy and still be iron deficient. Also, children are rarely tested for it. Often times, iron deficiency is not detected until it becomes severe. Another reason iron deficiency is so dangerous particularly in toddlers is because it interferes with development. Iron deficiency can impair both physical and mental development in children.