What Impact Does Iron Deficiency Have on Infant and Toddler Development?
The evidence, strongest when iron deficiency results in anemia, indicates that neurological development is impaired. The effect of impairment is demonstrable through learning and socioemotional difficulties and lower scores on motor development and mental tests. Moreover, the effect seems to be long lasting (Brotanek et al., 2008). The evidence for neurological impairment in the presence of iron deficiency without anemia is limited.
