Trial reportBulletin of the World Health Organization2024
Early iron supplementation in exclusively breastfed Gambian infants: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Effect of iron supplementation in healthy exclusively breastfed infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Early iron supplementation in exclusively breastfed Gambian infants: a randomized controlled trial.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2024Trial
- Daily iron supplementation does not impact on prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding or growth in young breastfed Gambian infants.BMJ nutrition, prevention & health · 2025Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the effect of daily iron supplementation for 14 weeks on the serum iron concentration and other markers of iron status in exclusively breastfed infants in Gambia. Methods: A placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind trial was performed in rural Gambia between 3 August 2021 and 9 March 2022. Overall, 101 healthy, exclusively breastfed infants aged 6 to 10 weeks were recruited at vaccination clinics and through community health workers. Infants were randomized to receive iron supplementation (7.5 mg/day as ferrous sulfate in sorbitol solution) or placebo for 98 days. Venous blood samples were collected at baseline and on day 99 to assess the serum iron concentration and other markers of iron and haematological status. Findings: At day 99, the serum iron concentration was significantly higher in the iron supplementation group than the placebo group (crude difference in means: 2.5 µmol/L; 95% confidence interval: 0.6 to 4.3) and there were significant improvements in other iron and haematological markers. There were 10 serious adverse events (five in each group), 106 non-serious adverse events (54 with iron supplementation; 52 with placebo) and no deaths. There was no marked difference between the groups in maternally reported episodes of diarrhoea, fever, cough, skin infection, eye infection or nasal discharge. Conclusion: In exclusively breastfed Gambian infants, iron supplementation from 6 weeks of age was associated with a significant improvement in markers of iron status at around 6 months of age. There was no indication of adverse effects on growth or infections.
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Registered trials
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