The Effects of Iron and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation on Cognition and Immune Function in Iron Deficient Children

NCT ID: NCT01092377

Last Updated: 2011-01-14

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

320 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2010-02-28

Study Completion Date

2010-12-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The aim of this study is to determine if providing iron and a mixture of DHA and EPA, alone and in combination, to children with iron deficiency and poor n-3 fatty acid intake will improve their cognitive performance, activity levels and immune system.

Additionally, the effects on iron and fatty acid status, and gut microbiota, will be assessed.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

In populations of low socio economic status, such as found in South Africa, iron deficiency coexisting with a low intake of n-3 fatty acids could synergistically compromise both the intellectual performance and immune system of children.

Therefore, specific cognitive processes (domains) and specific immunization status markers and immune function modulators, that have been found to be affected by iron and n-3 fatty acid deficiency in children in previous studies will be assessed.

This will be the first human study that assesses the interactions of iron and n-3 fatty acid supplementation to iron deficient children in a two-by-two factorial, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Iron Deficiency Anemia

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

FACTORIAL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

DHA/EPA capsules and iron tablet

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

DHA and EPA Fish Oil capsule

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

2 DHA/EPA capsules on 4 days per week containing totally 420 mg DHA and 80 mg EPA, providing an average dose of 285.7 mg n-3 fatty acids per day

Iron tablet

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

1 iron tablet containing 50 mg of iron as ferrous sulfate will be administered on 4 days per week, providing an average iron dose of 28.6 mg iron per day.

DHA/EPA and placebo tablet

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

DHA and EPA Fish Oil capsule

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

2 DHA/EPA capsules on 4 days per week containing totally 420 mg DHA and 80 mg EPA, providing an average dose of 285.7 mg n-3 fatty acids per day

Placebo tablet

Intervention Type OTHER

Placebo tablet will be administered on 4 days per week and will be identical in appearance to the iron tablet.

placebo capsules & placebo tablet

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Iron tablet

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

1 iron tablet containing 50 mg of iron as ferrous sulfate will be administered on 4 days per week, providing an average iron dose of 28.6 mg iron per day.

Placebo tablet

Intervention Type OTHER

Placebo tablet will be administered on 4 days per week and will be identical in appearance to the iron tablet.

Placebo capsule

Intervention Type OTHER

Placebo capsules contain medium chain triglycerides and will be identical in appearance and total fat content to the DHA/EPA capsules.

iron tablet and placebo capsules

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Placebo capsule

Intervention Type OTHER

Placebo capsules contain medium chain triglycerides and will be identical in appearance and total fat content to the DHA/EPA capsules.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

DHA and EPA Fish Oil capsule

2 DHA/EPA capsules on 4 days per week containing totally 420 mg DHA and 80 mg EPA, providing an average dose of 285.7 mg n-3 fatty acids per day

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Iron tablet

1 iron tablet containing 50 mg of iron as ferrous sulfate will be administered on 4 days per week, providing an average iron dose of 28.6 mg iron per day.

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Placebo tablet

Placebo tablet will be administered on 4 days per week and will be identical in appearance to the iron tablet.

Intervention Type OTHER

Placebo capsule

Placebo capsules contain medium chain triglycerides and will be identical in appearance and total fat content to the DHA/EPA capsules.

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Provided by Burgerstein AG (Rapperswil, Switzerland) Provided by Lomapharm (Paul Lohmann GmbH, Emmertal, Germany) Provided by Lomapharm (Paul Lohmann GmbH, Emmertal, Germany) Will be provided by R.P. Scherer GmbH (Eberbach, Germany)

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Age: 6-10 years
* Iron deficiency (Serum ferritin \< 20 µg/L or zinc protoporphyrin \> 70 µmol/mol heme in washed erythrocytes or TfR \> 8.3 mg/L) with no or mild anaemia

Exclusion Criteria

* Chronic illness
* Severe anemia (Hb \< 80 g/L)
* Use of iron or n-3 fatty acid containing supplements
Minimum Eligible Age

6 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

10 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Medical Research Council, South Africa

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Unilever R&D

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role collaborator

North-West University, South Africa

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

North-West University, South Africa

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Marius Smuts, PhD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

North-West University

Michael B Zimmermann, PhD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

ETH Zürich

Linda Malan, MSc

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

North-West University

Jeannine Baumgartner, MSc

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

ETH Zürich

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Valley of a Thousand Hills

Botha’s Hill, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

South Africa

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Malan L, Baumgartner J, Calder PC, Smuts CM. Low immune cell ARA and high plasma 12-HETE and 17-HDHA in iron-deficient South African school children with allergy. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2016 Jul;110:35-41. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2016.05.006. Epub 2016 May 13.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 27255641 (View on PubMed)

Malan L, Baumgartner J, Zandberg L, Calder PC, Smuts CM. Iron and a mixture of DHA and EPA supplementation, alone and in combination, affect bioactive lipid signalling and morbidity of iron deficient South African school children in a two-by-two randomised controlled trial. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2016 Feb;105:15-25. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2015.12.005. Epub 2015 Dec 22.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 26869087 (View on PubMed)

Malan L, Baumgartner J, Calder PC, Zimmermann MB, Smuts CM. n-3 Long-chain PUFAs reduce respiratory morbidity caused by iron supplementation in iron-deficient South African schoolchildren: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Mar;101(3):668-79. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.113.081208. Epub 2014 Dec 31.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 25733652 (View on PubMed)

Baumgartner J, Smuts CM, Malan L, Kvalsvig J, van Stuijvenberg ME, Hurrell RF, Zimmermann MB. Effects of iron and n-3 fatty acid supplementation, alone and in combination, on cognition in school children: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention in South Africa. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Dec;96(6):1327-38. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.041004. Epub 2012 Oct 24.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 23097272 (View on PubMed)

Baumgartner J, Smuts CM, Aeberli I, Malan L, Tjalsma H, Zimmermann MB. Overweight impairs efficacy of iron supplementation in iron-deficient South African children: a randomized controlled intervention. Int J Obes (Lond). 2013 Jan;37(1):24-30. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2012.145. Epub 2012 Sep 4.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 22945607 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

FeFA study 2010

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Omega Tots Long Term Follow-up
NCT05191823 ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION NA