Role of Fortified Cereals as Supplementary Food During the Complementary Feeding Period for Infants and their Impact on Iron Deficiency Status: A Retrospective Case Series with a Follow-up of 6 Months

This case report assessed eleven (11) Indian infants selected from published data to evaluate the effect ofnutrient-fortified (rice-based) supplementation from six months of age for a 6-month weaning period.Anthropometric measurements (weight and length/height) and Body Mass Index (BMI) based on the Z-scorewere evaluated at four-time points at 6-weeks intervals and correlated with nutrient intake (energy, fat,carbohydrates, protein, iron, and vitamin A), haemoglobin, serum ferritin, and serum soluble TransferrinReceptor (sTfR). Of the 11 subjects, 5 were exclusively breastfeeding and 6 were on mixed feeding. Onenrolment, all patients presented the following characteristics: mild/borderline anaemia (Hb at 10.3 g/dL ± 1.55g/dL); mean gestational age of 36.45 ± 1.57 weeks, mean birth weight was 2.72 kg ± 0.31 kg, and male-to-female distribution was 6:5. Post 6-months follow-up with the multi-nutrient fortified feeds including iron, theHb concentration increased to 11.5 μg/dL ± 1.3 μg/dL at 12-months. There was a significant correlation betweenHb and serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, and mean corpuscular volume. The individual compositescore on the Bayley-III assessment (including cognitive and motor function) showed that 27% of the infants(3/11) at 6-months were below average [mean score: ≤ 70] and at 12-months all the infants were found to beaverage [mean score:100].