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Nutrients
Volume 17
Issue 19
10.3390/nu17193103
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Article

The Influence of Intensive Nutritional Education on the Iron Status in Infants—Randomised Controlled Study

by
Kinga Ilnicka-Borowczyk
1,2,
Dagmara Woźniak
1,
Małgorzata Dobrzyńska
1,
Tomasz Podgórski
3,
Karol Szymanowski
4,
Anna Blask-Osipa
2,
Klaudia Mieloszyk
5 and
Sławomira Drzymała-Czyż
1,*
1
Department of Bromatology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 3 Street, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
2
Complex of Healthcare Institutions, Kosciuszki 96 Street, 64-700 Czarnkow, Poland
3
Department of Biochemistry, Poznan University of Physical Education, 61-871 Poznan, Poland
4
Specialized Medical Care Unit for Mothers and Children, Wrzoska 1 Street, 60-663 Poznan, Poland
5
Central Laboratory, Karol Jonscher Clinical Hospital of the Poznan University of Medical Science, Szpitalna 27/33, 60-572 Poznan, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2025, 17(19), 3103; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17193103 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 8 August 2025 / Revised: 25 September 2025 / Accepted: 29 September 2025 / Published: 29 September 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Nutritional Policies and Education for Health Promotion)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Background: Iron is an essential nutrient for the proper development of infants. Iron deficiency, a common cause of anemia—affects nearly half children under four years of age in developing countries. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of an intensive nutritional education program on the iron status of infants. Material and methods: The parents of 115 infants were randomly assigned to two groups: the study group, which received intensive nutritional education up to 12 months of age, and the control group, which received basic infant nutrition guidelines. Serum concentrations of iron metabolism parameters—among others hemoglobin, iron, ferritin, ferroportin, and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC)—were assessed at both the beginning and end of the study. Additionally, at the final time point, dietary intake of iron and components influencing its absorption (e.g., vitamin C, fiber, etc.) was evaluated based on food diaries completed by the parents. Results: At the end of the study, the study group showed a significantly higher level of hemoglobin (p = 0.0499), ferritin (p = 0.0067) and lower levels of TIBC (p = 0.0478) and ferroportin (p = 0.0410) compared to the control group. Moreover, infants in the study group demonstrated significantly higher intake of both iron (p = 0.0252) and vitamin C (p = 0.0458). Conclusions: Parental nutritional education contributes to improvements in iron metabolism indicators in infants.
Keywords: nutritional programming; transferrin; ferritin; hepcidin; child nutrition; development nutritional programming; transferrin; ferritin; hepcidin; child nutrition; development

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ilnicka-Borowczyk, K.; Woźniak, D.; Dobrzyńska, M.; Podgórski, T.; Szymanowski, K.; Blask-Osipa, A.; Mieloszyk, K.; Drzymała-Czyż, S. The Influence of Intensive Nutritional Education on the Iron Status in Infants—Randomised Controlled Study. Nutrients 2025, 17, 3103. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17193103

AMA Style

Ilnicka-Borowczyk K, Woźniak D, Dobrzyńska M, Podgórski T, Szymanowski K, Blask-Osipa A, Mieloszyk K, Drzymała-Czyż S. The Influence of Intensive Nutritional Education on the Iron Status in Infants—Randomised Controlled Study. Nutrients. 2025; 17(19):3103. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17193103

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ilnicka-Borowczyk, Kinga, Dagmara Woźniak, Małgorzata Dobrzyńska, Tomasz Podgórski, Karol Szymanowski, Anna Blask-Osipa, Klaudia Mieloszyk, and Sławomira Drzymała-Czyż. 2025. "The Influence of Intensive Nutritional Education on the Iron Status in Infants—Randomised Controlled Study" Nutrients 17, no. 19: 3103. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17193103

APA Style

Ilnicka-Borowczyk, K., Woźniak, D., Dobrzyńska, M., Podgórski, T., Szymanowski, K., Blask-Osipa, A., Mieloszyk, K., & Drzymała-Czyż, S. (2025). The Influence of Intensive Nutritional Education on the Iron Status in Infants—Randomised Controlled Study. Nutrients, 17(19), 3103. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17193103

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