Iron profile in obese compared to normal children

Background: Obese children are not only prone to various diseases, but due to the higher-caloric and lower nutritional values of their diet are also exposed to different micronutrient deficiencies. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the iron profile in obese compared to non-obese normal cases. Materials and Methods: This Cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 children (5-15 years) during 2013-2014 in Isfahan. The case and control groups were consisted of 100 obese and none-obese children with no underlying diseases, respectively admitted to the pediatric endocrinology clinic. For all children serum iron, ferritin and total iron-binding capacity were measured. The data were analyzed using independent t-test and chi square tests. Results: Forty three and 24 of the children were suffering from iron deficiency in the case and control groups, respectively )P<0.004(. Among the obese children 88.4 of the obese cases with iron deficiency had a serum ferritin value of >15µg/L. Conclusion: Due to the increasing prevalence of iron deficiency among the obese children, screening for iron deficiency seems necessary in children and adolescents with high BMI