Iron supplementation and physical growth of rural Indonesian children.

The effect of oral iron supplementation on blood Fe levels and physical growth in 119 rural Indonesian school children was assessed in this double-blind study. The children were classified into anemic and normal groups according to their initial hemoglobin and transferrin saturation levels and were randomly assigned to either Fe or placebo treatment for 12 wk. Hematological, anthropometric, and morbidity data were collected before and after the treatment period. Before treatment, anemic subjects were smaller and had higher morbidity than normal subjects. Treatment with 10 mg ferrous sulfate.kg-1.d-1 for 12 wk resulted in a significant improvement in anemic subjects' hematological status, growth velocity, and level or morbidity.