Adding iron to food or giving kids iron pills is seen by health experts as a good and affordable way to help children’s brains develop properly and avoid thinking or learning problems.

1

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

1

Community contributions welcome

1

Iron Deficiency, Cognitive Functions, and Neurobehavioral Disorders in Children

Narrative Review

2019 May

This study says giving kids extra iron through food or pills helps their brains grow better, and that this is a smart and cheap way to prevent learning problems—just like the claim says.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Iron Deficiency, Cognitive Functions, and Neurobehavioral Disorders in Children

Score: 1

DOI: 10.1007/s12031-019-01276-1

Similar Assertions

Giving iron pills to kids who aren’t anemic doesn’t seem to make them smarter, better at remembering things, or more focused — their brain skills stay about the same.

39

0

77%

Giving kids iron supplements doesn’t reliably make them smarter or do better in school — even if their bodies absorb the iron, it doesn’t usually lead to noticeable improvements in how they think or learn.

39

0

71%