The Impact of Early Life Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia on Brain Development

Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia are the single nutrient deficiency diseases with the highest incidence worldwide, especially in the population of pregnant women and preschool children. The early life is a key period for rapid brain development. A large number of studies have found that iron deficiency during this period causes long-term and irreversible damage to brain development by changing brain structure, neurochemistry and transmitter systems, and affects the development of children's sensorimotor, cognitive language and social and emotional abilities. Although iron supplementation in infancy can correct the iron deficiency state, and the brain has some plasticity and resilience for adaptive development, it still cannot compensate for the long-term damage to the brain development caused by early iron deficiency. Iron deficiency in different periods of life affects affect short-and long-term brain development. This paper mainly expounds the effects of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in early life on child brain development, as well as the mechanism of impaired brain development, emphasizes the importance of preventing ID and IDA in early life.