Study identifies children with obesity at higher risk of iron deficiency

According to a recent study conducted in the United Kingdom by experts at the University of Leeds' School of Food Science and Nutrition, children and adolescents who are overweight or obese are more likely to suffer from an iron deficit.
The study was the first to look at the relationship in youngsters, according to the researchers, even though iron deficiency is well known to be an issue in obese adults.
According to experts, iron is necessary for every human organism. Its roles include movement across the body, respiration of cells, and storage of oxygen in muscles.

The ScienceDaily study's researchers looked at thousands of medical studies from 44 different nations that included participants under 25 and found that participants' levels of iron and other vitamins and minerals had been recorded alongside weight.
The research team discovered a link between underweight and overweight children and adolescents and iron deficiency.
According to them, children who are iron deficient have impaired brain function, including attention, concentration, and memory, and their chance of developing disorders like autism and ADHD may also be elevated.
"The relationship between undernutrition and critical micronutrients for childhood growth and development is well established," stated lead author Xiaomian Tan, a doctoral researcher at the University of Leeds' School of Food Science and Nutrition. "However, less is known about the risk of deficiencies in iron, vitamin A, and zinc in children and adolescents who are overweight or obese, making this a hidden form of malnutrition."

"Considering the high rate of childhood obesity, our research is extremely important." We're hoping it will lead to increased recognition of the problem by healthcare practitioners and improvements in clinical practice and care.”
According to the researchers, the problem of iron deficiency has been linked to malnutrition and it is a particular concern for lower- and middle-income countries where hunger may be the leading cause of mortality for young children.
But it's becoming more well acknowledged that vitamin and mineral shortages can also strike those who are fat or overweight and consume a diet high in calories but low in nutrients—a condition known as "hidden hunger."
"Obesity is often associated with poverty and monotonous diets with limited choices of staples such as corn, wheat, rice and potatoes, but in lower- and middle-income countries, it is associated with ultra-processed foods that are high in fat, sugar, salt and energy," the researchers said.
They revealed that the fast rise in obesity prevalence worldwide in recent decades, particularly in children between the ages of five and 19, has left many developing nations with a twin burden of hunger and overnutrition.
The study also demonstrates the disparities in emphasis between developed and developing countries; the majority of studies conducted in Asia and Africa concentrate on undernutrition, whereas those conducted in North America and Europe only address overnutrition.
According to the experts, this is especially alarming because economic prosperity and the shift to a high-sugar, high-fat diet akin to that of the West have left Africa and Asia with the biggest double burden of malnutrition.
Nutritionist Yemisi Solanke-Lawal discussed solutions to the issue and advised expectant mothers and nursing moms to maintain a balanced diet to prevent starving their kids of iron.
As Solanke-Lawal put it, "Every human body needs iron." Its duties include cell respiration, oxygen distribution throughout the body, and storage of oxygen in the muscles.
"Iron deficiency anaemia is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency worldwide, impacting 25% of the population, particularly children under five, with a high prevalence in Africa."
The dietitian stated that children with iron deficiency anaemia should receive immediate medical attention if they exhibit any of the following physical symptoms: "fatigue, breathlessness on exertion, anorexia, insomnia, spoon-shaped fingers, high blood pressure and severe cases of oedema, the whiteness of fingernails and the mucous membrane in the mouth and under eyelids."