Anemia - Treatment

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Click the icon to see an image of sources of vitamin B12.

• Folate is found in avocado, bananas, orange juice, cold cereal, asparagus, fruits, green, leafy vegetables, dried beans and peas, and yeast. The synthetic form, folic acid, is now added to commercial grain products. Vitamins are usually made from folic acid, which is about twice as potent as folate. The recommended daily amount of folic acid or folate for teenagers and adults is 400 mcg. Women who are pregnant need 600 mcg per day and women who are breastfeeding need 500 mcg daily.

Click the icon to see an image of sources of folate.

Recommended Daily Allowance for Iron

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The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of iron for people who are not iron deficient varies by age group and other risk factors. (Iron supplements are rarely recommended in people without evidence of iron deficiency or anemia.) The RDA for iron intake is:

• Infants 0 - 6 months: 0.27 mg
• Infants 7 - 12 months: 11 mg
• Children 1 - 3 years old: 7 mg
• Children 4 - 8 years old: 10 mg
• Children 9 -13 years old: 8 mg
• Teenage boys (14 - 18 years): 11 mg
• Teenage girls (14 - 18 years): 15 mg
• Men 19 - 50 years old: 8 mg
• Women 19 - 50 years old: 18 mg
• Pregnant women: 27 mg
• Older men and women (over age 50): 8 mg

Preventing Anemia in Infants and Small Children

The main source of iron for an infant from birth to 1 year of age is from breast milk, iron-fortified infant formula, or cereal.

Breastfeeding and Iron-Supplemented Formulas. Mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed their babies for their first year. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusively breastfeeding for a minimum of 4 months, but preferably 6 months, then gradually adding solid foods while continuing to breastfeed until at least the baby’s first birthday. Because human breast milk contains very little iron, the AAP recommends that full-term healthy infants receive a daily oral iron supplement of 1 mg/kg beginning at age 4 months and continuing until iron-rich complementary foods, such as iron-fortified cereals, are introduced. Preterm infants who are breastfed should receive an iron supplement of 2 mg/kg by the time they are 1 month old.