A cross sectional study of maternal iron status of Korean women during pregnancy

• Published in: Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 22; no. 12; pp. 1377 - 1388
• Main Authors: Lee, Jong-I.m, Kang, Soon A.h, Kim, Soon-K.i, Lim, Hyeon-Sook
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-12-2002; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: binding capacity; Biological and medical sciences; birth weight; blood serum; Cross sectional study; cross-sectional studies; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; erythrocytes; Ferritin; food intake; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; hemoglobin; iron; Iron status; Koreans; Medical sciences; neonates; nutrient deficiencies; Pregnancy; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; pregnant women; Recommended Dietary Allowances; sTfR; transferrin; Tropical medicine; Korean Peninsula; Asia; South Korea; Korea; Pregnancy; sTfR; Cross sectional study; Iron status; Ferritin; Human; Pregnancy disorders; Nutrition disorder; Iron; Maternal diseases; Inorganic element; Feeding; Result; Micronutrient; Newborn; Female; Birth weight; Nutritional deficiency; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 0271-5317; 1879-0739
• DOI: 10.1016/S0271-5317(02)00437-2

The purpose of this study was to determine the iron status of Korean women during pregnancy and to assess the relationship between maternal iron status and the outcome of their newborns. A total of eighty-one pregnant women living in Gwangju, Korea, participated in the study: 26 women were in the first trimester, 23 in the second trimester, and 32 in the third trimester. Maternal red blood cell (RBC) number, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, and serum iron and ferritin levels were reduced significantly in the last trimester (
p < 0.05) compared to the findings both in the first and second trimesters. On the other hand, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin level, and the ratio of sTfR to ferritin in the third trimester were higher (
p < 0.05) than those both in the first and second trimesters. Dietary intake of iron in the three trimesters was 9.7 ± 2.3, 13.3 ± 4.3, and 10.6 ± 2.5 mg/day, respectively. All were far below the Korean Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) of iron for pregnant women. Approximately, ninety percent of the subjects consumed iron supplements after the 20th week of their pregnancies until delivery. The supplemental iron intake in the second and third trimesters was 40 ± 12 and 46 ± 11 mg/day, respectively. There was a significant correlation between the maternal Hb level in the third trimester and the birth weight of infants. In conclusion, maternal iron status deteriorated during pregnancy, although most subjects consumed more than the RDA of iron by taking iron supplements after the 20th week of pregnancy. The results confirm that maternal iron deficiency during pregnancy negatively affects the outcome of newborns.