Do infants who are breastfed require additional iron supplements to ensure they are receiving all the necessary dietary nutrients? If so, then when should parents add more iron to their baby's diet? How much? And why? These are the questions nursing mothers are asking – and quite often there is no easy answer.

"Exclusively breastfed babies do not need iron supplements because human milk contains iron and lactoferrin," says Rita Traina, RNC, IBCLC, a lactation consultant at the Medical Center of Ocean Family Health Clinic in Brick, N.J. "Iron absorption from human milk is more efficient than that of formula. Absorption from human milk is 49 percent of available iron, whereas iron in fortified formula only has four percent absorbed."

Traina explains that in human milk there are higher levels of vitamin C and lactose, which aid in the absorption of iron. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding protein that promotes iron absorption and utilization and inhibits the growth of iron-dependent microorganisms in the stomach such as e-coli, which can cause serious gastrointestinal problems in infants.

Most physicians feel that it is not necessary to add iron supplements or other foods to breast milk for at least the first six months.

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.