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Meta-Analysis
. 2010 Jan 25:9:4.
doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-9-4.

The effects of oral iron supplementation on cognition in older children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Martin Falkingham  1 , Asmaa Abdelhamid, Peter Curtis, Susan Fairweather-Tait, Louise Dye, Lee Hooper
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The effects of oral iron supplementation on cognition in older children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Martin Falkingham et al. Nutr J. .

Abstract

Background: In observational studies anaemia and iron deficiency are associated with cognitive deficits, suggesting that iron supplementation may improve cognitive function. However, due to the potential for confounding by socio-economic status in observational studies, this needs to be verified in data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Aim: To assess whether iron supplementation improved cognitive domains: concentration, intelligence, memory, psychomotor skills and scholastic achievement.

Methodology: Searches included MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Cochrane CENTRAL and bibliographies (to November 2008). Inclusion, data extraction and validity assessment were duplicated, and the meta-analysis used the standardised mean difference (SMD). Subgrouping, sensitivity analysis, assessment of publication bias and heterogeneity were employed.

Results: Fourteen RCTs of children aged 6+, adolescents and women were included; no RCTs in men or older people were found. Iron supplementation improved attention and concentration irrespective of baseline iron status (SMD 0.59, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.90) without heterogeneity. In anaemic groups supplementation improved intelligence quotient (IQ) by 2.5 points (95% CI 1.24 to 3.76), but had no effect on non-anaemic participants, or on memory, psychomotor skills or scholastic achievement. However, the funnel plot suggested modest publication bias. The limited number of included studies were generally small, short and methodologically weak.

Conclusions: There was some evidence that iron supplementation improved attention, concentration and IQ, but this requires confirmation with well-powered, blinded, independently funded RCTs of at least one year's duration in different age groups including children, adolescents, adults and older people, and across all levels of baseline iron status.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA study flow diagram for the systematic review [14].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot, SMD analysis of the effect of iron supplementation on attention and concentration.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot, SMD analysis of the effect of iron supplementation on intelligence.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Funnel plot, based on studies with data on intelligence.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot, SMD analysis of the effect of iron supplementation on memory.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Forest plot, SMD analysis of the effect of iron supplementation on psychomotor skills.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Forest plot, SMD analysis of the effect of iron supplementation on scholastic ability.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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