Iron Deficiency In Womb May Delay Brain Maturation In Preemies

Iron plays a large role in brain development in the womb, and new research shows an iron deficiency may delay the development of auditory nervous system in preemies. This delay could affect babies ability to process sound which is critical for later language development in early childhood.

The study evaluated 80 infants over 18 months, testing their cord blood for iron levels and using a non-invasive tool -- auditory brainstem-evoked response (ABR) -- to measure the maturity of the brain's auditory nervous system soon after birth. The study presented at the Pediatric Academic Society Annual Meeting found that the brains of infants with low iron levels in their cord blood had abnormal maturation of auditory system compared to infants with normal cord iron levels.

Bonnie - as I have said for a long time, iron is critical during prenatal, pregnancy, and early childhood stages of development. One way to ensure that a deficiency does not occur? A prenatal vitamin and early childhood supplementation.