Pregnant women who take iron supplements every day have a lower risk of giving birth to a low-weight baby, according to a new study published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal).



anemiaYoung women, pregnant women and children are at the most risk of iron deficiency.











  • the risk of anemia went down by 12%
  • the risk of giving birth to a low-weight baby was reduced by 3%


“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, rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of existing antenatal care programmes in high burden countries to identify gaps in policy and programme implementation.”



The video below shows a number of methods that help detect iron deficiency more effectively

PLoS Oneiron deficiency may have a profound and long-lasting effect on the brain development of the child

infants with low iron levels in their cord blood had abnormal maturation of the auditory system compared to those with normal cord iron levels

BMJby waiting for at least three minutes before clamping the umbilical cord, iron levels in healthy newborn babies are significantly improved at four months.