Iron deficit impairs brain maturation in pre-terms

A study conducted by researchers from the USA's University of Rochester Medical Center shows iron deficiency may delay the  development of auditory nervous system in premature babies.

The study evaluated 80 infants over 18 months, testing their cord blood  for iron levels and found that the brains of infants with low iron  levels in their cord blood had abnormal maturation of auditory system  compared to infants with normal cord iron levels. As many as 30% of  pregnant women with lower socio-economic status are iron deficient,  which can cause anemia leading to a range of problems from exhaustion  to preterm labor to low birth weight.