{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,19]],"date-time":"2026-09-19T13:42:51Z","timestamp":1789825371519,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,22]],"date-time":"2020-12-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1608595200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004063","name":"Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004063","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007067","name":"Kempestiftelserna","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007067","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002960","name":"V\u00e4sterbotten L\u00e4ns Landsting","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002960","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Many infant formulas are fortified with iron at 8\u201314 mg\/L whereas breast milk contains about 0.3 mg\/L. Another major difference between breast milk and infant formula is its high concentration of lactoferrin, a bioactive iron-binding protein. The aim of the present study was to investigate how reducing the iron content and adding bovine lactoferrin to infant formula affects iron status, health and development. Swedish healthy full-term formula-fed infants (n = 180) were randomized in a double-blind controlled trial. From 6 weeks to 6 months of age, 72 infants received low-iron formula (2 mg\/L) fortified with bovine lactoferrin (1.0 g\/L) (Lf+), 72 received low-iron formula un-fortified with lactoferrin (Lf\u2212) and 36 received standard formula with 8 mg of iron\/L and no lactoferrin fortification as controls (CF). Iron status and prevalence of iron deficiency (ID) were assessed at 4 and 6 months. All iron status indicators were unaffected by lactoferrin. At 4 and 6 months, the geometric means of ferritin for the combined low-iron groups compared to the CF-group were 67.7 vs. 88.7 and 39.5 vs. 50.9 \u00b5g\/L, respectively (p = 0.054 and p = 0.056). No significant differences were found for other iron status indicators. In the low-iron group only one infant (0.7%) at 4 months and none at 6 months developed ID. Conclusion: Iron fortification of 2 mg\/L is an adequate level during the first half of infancy for healthy term infants in a well-nourished population. Adding lactoferrin does not affect iron status.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu13010003","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,22]],"date-time":"2020-12-22T20:39:29Z","timestamp":1608669569000},"page":"3","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":26,"title":["Reducing Iron Content in Infant Formula from 8 to 2 mg\/L Does Not Increase the Risk of Iron Deficiency at 4 or 6 Months of Age: A Randomized Controlled Trial"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Maria","family":"Bj\u00f6rmsj\u00f6","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Ume\u00e5 University, 901 87 Ume\u00e5, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8841-6200","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Olle","family":"Hernell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Ume\u00e5 University, 901 87 Ume\u00e5, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bo","family":"L\u00f6nnerdal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9263-9578","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Staffan K.","family":"Berglund","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Ume\u00e5 University, 901 87 Ume\u00e5, Sweden"},{"name":"Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine (WCMM), Ume\u00e5 University, 901 87 Ume\u00e5, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"475","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(15)01024-7","article-title":"Breastfeeding in the 21st century: Epidemiology, mechanisms, and lifelong effect","volume":"387","author":"Victora","year":"2016","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"119","DOI":"10.1097\/MPG.0000000000000206","article-title":"Iron requirements of infants and toddlers","volume":"58","author":"Domellof","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. 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