ArticlePloS one2024
The impact of iron supplementation on the preterm neonatal gut microbiome: A pilot study.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.
- Enteral iron dose effect on iron storage, intestinal barrier, and gut microbiome in preterm infants: a randomized clinical trial.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2026Trial
- Maternal dietary iron intake during pregnancy has a potential effect on the neonate gut microbiota profile.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Mitigating Intestinal Dysbiosis in the Very Preterm Infant.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe gastrointestinal microbiome in preterm infants exhibits significant influence on optimal outcomes-with dysbiosis shown to substantially increase the risk of the life-threatening necrotizing enterocolitis. Iron is a vital nutrient especially during the perinatal window of rapid hemoglobin production, tissue growth, and foundational neurodevelopment. However, excess colonic iron exhibits potent oxidation capacity and alters the gut microbiome-potentially facilitating the proliferation of pathological bacterial strains. Breastfed preterm infants routinely receive iron supplementation starting 14 days after delivery and are highly vulnerable to morbidities associated with gastrointestinal dysbiosis. Therefore, we set out to determine if routine iron supplementation alters the preterm gut microbiome.
methodsAfter IRB approval, we collected stool specimens from 14 infants born <34 weeks gestation in the first, second, and fourth week of life to assess gut microbiome composition via 16S rRNA sequencing.
resultsWe observed no significant differences in either phyla or key genera relative abundance between pre- and post-iron timepoints. We observed notable shifts in infant microbiome composition based on season of delivery.
conclusionThough no obvious indication of iron-induced dysbiosis was observed in this unique study in the setting of prematurity, further investigation in a larger sample is warranted to fully understand iron's impact on the gastrointestinal milieu.
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Registered trials
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