SynthesisFrontiers in nutrition2026
Effect of iron supplements on cognitive development in children: an umbrella review.
Synthesis in Frontiers in nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Aim: To synthesize and critically appraise evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the effect of iron supplementation on children's cognitive development. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and gray literature up to August 2025. Eligible studies were systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, assessing iron supplementation and cognitive outcomes in children. Methodological quality was appraised using AMSTAR-2, risk of bias with ROBIS, and overlap through the Corrected Covered Area (CCA). Reporting adhered to the PRIOR guidelines for overviews of reviews. Results: Of 2,725 records screened, 17 systematic reviews were included. Three reviews were rated high confidence with low risk of bias. Iron supplementation showed modest benefits in domains such as intelligence, memory, and attention among anemic children, whereas effects in non-deficient populations were negligible or uncertain. No consistent improvements were observed for broader mental development or school achievement. Conclusion: Evidence from high-confidence reviews indicates that iron supplementation confers small but meaningful cognitive benefits in anemic children, while universal supplementation in non-deficient children is not supported. These findings highlight the need for targeted supplementation strategies and more homogeneous trials to clarify long-term cognitive outcomes. Systematic review registration: doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/5EKHX.
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