Researchers reviewed and combined data from several existing studies to look at the connection between iron deficiency anemia and other minerals in children and teens. They analyzed information from over 1,100 participants, comparing blood levels of iron, zinc, copper, and magnesium in those with anemia to those without it.
The main finding was that children with iron deficiency anemia had significantly lower average levels of iron, zinc, and magnesium in their blood. Interestingly, they had higher average levels of copper compared to children without anemia. The study did not report on any safety concerns related to these mineral levels.
It is important to be careful with these results for a few reasons. First, this type of analysis can only show that these mineral levels are associated with anemia—it cannot prove that low zinc or magnesium causes anemia, or that high copper is a problem. Second, the individual studies included in the review were quite different from each other, which makes the overall result less certain.
Readers should realistically take away that a child's nutritional status is complex. If a child has iron deficiency anemia, their doctor might consider checking other minerals as part of a complete picture, but this research does not yet support changing standard care or taking new supplements.