Iron deficiency (ID) affects 13.5% of 1–2 years old children in the US and may have a negative impact on neurodevelopment and behavior. Iron-fortified infant cereal is the primary non-heme iron source among infants aged 6–11.9 months. The objective of this study was to compare iron intakes of infant cereal users with non-users. Data from the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study 2008 were used for this analysis. Based on a 24-h recall, children between the ages of 4–17.9 months were classified as ‘cereal users’ if they consumed any amount or type of infant cereal and ‘non-users’ if they did not. Infant cereal was the top source of dietary iron among infants aged 6–11.9 months. The majority of infants (74.6%) aged 6–8.9 months consumed infant cereal, but this declined to 51.5% between 9–11.9 months and 14.8% among 12–17.9 months old toddlers. Infant cereal users consumed significantly more iron than non-users across all age groups. Infants and toddlers who consume infant cereal have higher iron intakes compared to non-users. Given the high prevalence of ID, the appropriate use of infant cereals in a balanced diet should be encouraged to reduce the incidence of ID and ID anemia.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease–associated liver diseases (IBD‐LDs) include autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and an overlap syndrome. Prospective unbiased multicenter data regarding the frequency of IBD‐LD in patients with pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are lacking. We examined early alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) elevations in children diagnosed as having IBD and assessed the likelihood of IBD‐LD.Methods: Data collected from the prospective observational Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Collaborative Research Group Registry enrolling children of age 50 (odds ratio 660, P < 0.0001). Of the 29 patients with IBD‐LD, 21 had PSC, 2 had AIH, and 6 had overlap syndrome. IBD‐LD was more common in patients with ulcerative colitis and IBD‐unclassified (indeterminate colitis) than in those with Crohn disease (4% vs 0.8%, respectively, P < 0.001).Conclusions: Elevation of both ALT and GGT within 90 days after the diagnosis of IBD is associated with a markedly increased likelihood of IBD‐LD. Both ALT and GGT levels should be measured in all of the pediatric patients newly diagnosed as having IBD.

Background. For infants who are partially or exclusively fed infant formula, many options exist with compositional differences between formulas making choices difficult for caregivers and healthcare professionals. The protein in routine infant formulas differs by the source, fraction of cow’s milk protein used, and degree of hydrolysis. All commercially available regulated infant formulas support growth and development, but different stool patterns have been observed based on formula composition. A pooled analysis of seven clinical trials was conducted to examine growth, stool consistency, and stool frequency of infants fed an intact cow’s milk-based formula (CMF) or a partially hydrolyzed whey formula (PHF-W) from a single manufacturer. Methods. Individual subject data from seven infant formula growth studies (3 CMF, 4 PHF-W) were pooled and analyzed. All studies included healthy, full-term, formula-fed infants enrolled at 14 days of age with outcomes assessed over 4 months. Gains in weight and length to 4 months were analyzed using linear regression accounting for clustering within study. Outcomes of caregiver-reported stool consistency and frequency were analyzed using a longitudinal multinomial model. Results. Data from 511 infants were included (197 CMF, 314 PHF-W). There were no differences in weight gain between groups. There was no difference in length gain in girls fed PHF-W while boys fed PHF-W had a significant difference of +0.016 cm/month compared to boys fed CMF. Infants fed PHF-W had a significantly higher probability of soft and lower probability of hard stools as compared to infants fed CMF at each time point (p<0.001). Stool frequency was similar between groups. Conclusions. Infants fed CMF and PHF-W exhibit appropriate growth with comparable gains in weight and length through 4 months. More soft and fewer hard stools are observed in infants fed PHF-W compared to CMF. This difference could help to inform decision-making when choosing an infant formula.