Dietary Iron Sources Among 9-Month-Old Infants from Low-Income Households

Background: The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that 6–12-month-old infants receive 11 mg iron/day. The contribution of iron-rich foods in meeting guidelines is unclear. Objectives: The aims were to: (1) determine the contribution of iron-fortified cereal, infant formula and heme-iron sources to infants’ total dietary iron intake; (2) examine differences in iron adequacy by milk-feeding type; and (3) identify feeding patterns associated with meeting daily iron requirements through dietary sources. Methods: Mothers of infants were recruited from a pediatric clinic and 24 h feeding recalls were conducted to estimate infants’ iron intake. Infants’ milk-feeding types were: breastmilk only (BF), mixed (MF), or infant formula only (FF). Main outcomes were: meeting/not meeting daily iron requirement (11 mg) overall and by milk-feeding type; contribution of iron-fortified infant cereal, formula and meat to daily iron intake. Descriptive statistics, bivariate chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Most participants identified as African American or Hispanic (76%) and were enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (84%). Thirty-nine percent consumed < 11 mg iron/day from dietary sources. By milk-feeding type, inadequate iron intake was significantly higher among the BF (72%) and MF (74%) groups vs. the FF group (24%, p < 0.05). Iron-fortified cereals were consumed by 46% of infants and provided a median iron intake of 6.75 mg. Among the FF group, infant formula provided 63% of the daily iron requirement. Conclusions: Inadequate dietary iron intake is common. Iron-fortified cereal is an important dietary iron source. Future research is warranted to understand the relations among infants’ daily iron intake, iron sources (heme vs. non-heme), and iron status.