Oxidative Stress Markers and Antioxidant Status after Oral Iron Supplementation to Very Low Birth Weight Infants

Objective To evaluate whether our current practice of giving iron 18 mg daily to 6-week-old infants with very low birth weight (VLBW) was associated with increased oxidative stress markers or decreased antioxidant status. Study design The study was a prospective observational study of 21 healthy VLBW infants (born at gestational age Results After 1 week of iron supplementation, no significant changes in urine 8-isoprostane or plasma total hydroperoxides were seen, and plasma antioxidants were largely unchanged. Conclusions Markers of oxidative stress in urine and plasma antioxidant status in healthy VLBW infants fed human milk remained unchanged after high-dose oral iron supplementation.