Iron-fortified milk a smart choice for Australian toddlers

A balanced DIET which includes fortified milk and red meat improves iron levels required for toddlers’ brain development according to a University study on toddlers’ iron levels.

The findings of an Otago University study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, revealed that the iron levels of toddlers who ate red meat or consumed iron-fortified powdered milk were significantly higher than those who consumed regular milk.

It also showed that a diet including red meat was critical in maintaining healthy iron levels, while fortified milk improved the iron status in toddlers.

Otago University researcher Dr Anne-Louis Heath said iron deficiency can slow brain development, impair cognitive function and cause behavioural problems. Alarmingly, the study noted that up to one-third of toddlers in Australia and New Zealand may have low iron stores.

Heinz Nurture Toddler was the iron-fortified milk used in the randomised trial which divided toddlers into three groups—red meat; non-fortified; and iron-fortified milk. By the end of the five-month trial, the toddler group that had consumed Heinz Nurture Toddler recorded a serum ferritin (considered the most useful diagnosis of iron levels) 44 per cent higher than the baseline. Ferritin concentrations remained unchanged in the red meat group and decreased in the non-fortified milk group.

Heather Ferguson, dietitian with Heinz, said that simply replacing two cups of cow's milk with iron-fortified milk is an easy and effective way to increase iron stores in toddlers.

"Two cups of iron-fortified milk in place of their regular milk should not interfere with a toddler's appetite and can be part of a healthy toddler diet, including red meat," said Ms Ferguson.

Heinz Nurture Toddler is available in major retail supermarkets and pharmacies.