Iron is an essential micronutrient for the body. It is a component of body systems that are involved in the utilization of oxygen. It forms part of hemoglobin, the red pigment in blood, which allows oxygen to be carried from the lungs to the tissues.
- Iron transports and stores oxygen in human body.
- Supports proper physical and mental growth of children.
- Aids in energy production and cell diffusion in human body.
- Helps the immune and central nervous systems.
Iron absorption refers to the amount of dietary iron one obtains from the food s/he eats. Healthy adults absorb about 15% of the iron in their diet.
Vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron. The actual amount of iron a body absorbs depends on the amount of iron already stored in the body. When the body has low amounts of iron stored, it will absorb more iron from the foods eaten. When the body has a large amount of iron stored, the amount of iron it absorbs will decrease.
Iron Deficiency Anemia is a common condition that occurs when there is not enough iron in the body. It is the most common type of anemia. A lack of iron in the body can come from not eating enough foods that contain iron, bleeding, or not absorbing enough iron from food that is eaten.
The term anemia is used for a group of conditions in which the number of red blood cells in the blood is lower than normal, or the red blood cells do not have enough hemoglobin. Hemoglobin — an iron-rich protein that gives the red color to blood — carries the oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
Children need to absorb an average of 1 mg per day of iron to keep up with the needs of their growing bodies. Since children only absorb about 10% of the iron they eat, most children need to ingest 8-10 mg of iron per day. Breast-fed babies need less, because iron is absorbed 3 times better when it is in breast milk.
A common time for iron deficiency is between 6 and 24 months of age. The adolescent growth spurt is another high-risk period.
A person can have low iron levels mainly for four reasons:
- Not getting enough iron in the diet.
- Not being able to absorb the iron in the diet.
- Blood loss, either from disease or injury
- Parasitic infections, malaria, worm.
Iron deficiency anemia also can develop when the body needs higher levels of iron, such as during pregnancy and lactation period
Following are the most common symptoms of iron deficiency anemia. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
- Feeling tired and weak.
- Decreased work and school performance.
- Slow cognitive and psychosocial development during childhood.
- Difficulty maintaining body temperature.
- Abnormal paleness or lack of color of the skin.
- Irritability.
- Decreased immune function, which increases susceptibility to infection.
- Increased heart rate (tachycardia).
- Sore or swollen tongue.
- Enlarged spleen.
- A desire to eat peculiar substances such as dirt or ice (a condition called pica).
Iron Deficiency Anemia has serious health consequences, which are:
- Impaired physical growth.
- Impaired brain development and cognitive performance.
- Decreased concentration and attention.
- Impaired learning capacity and memory functions.
- Decreased resistance to diseases.
- Increased morbidity and mortality from infections.
Special care and attention should be given to children from birth to age 5. This is the most critical period for physical and mental development of human child. This is also the most critical age for children to be affected by Iron Deficiency Anemia. Children with IDA should be treated with Iron Supplementation (i.e. MoniMix) along with iron-riched foods.
1. Food-based approaches
Dietary Improvement: Food-based approaches represent the most desirable and sustainable method of preventing micronutrient malnutrition. Food Fortification: Food fortification is the process by which nutrient is added to commonly eaten foods to improve the quality of the diet.
2. Iron supplementation:
Treating iron deficiency anemia with iron supplementation is a common practice especially in the developing countries. Iron supplementation is quite often prescribed/recommended by medical professionals for children most of who suffer from anemia.
MoniMix contains a number of vitamins and minerals including Iron, Zinc, Folic Acid, Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
MoniMix can be used in any food products, but because the iron is coated with lipid (to mask the metallic taste), it will float to the top of liquids and tend to stick to the side of the cup or glass. So, to avoid the wastage, it is better to mix MoniMix with solid food.
Yes. The amount of micronutrients in the MoniMix sachets is high enough to meet the needs of infants with micronutrient deficiencies (e.g. iron deficiency anemia) but not too high for those who do not have deficiencies.
Yes, they can be safely used for any age group, although they were developed for infants and young children. Infants and young children cannot safely ingest tablets or pills. Syrups and drops have been used for many years, but compliance has been documented to be poor (for iron). For other age groups, there are more choices for supplementation, including the use of fortified foods, pills and capsules. Nevertheless, MoniMix can be used in these other age groups without fear of toxicity. To date, research emphasis has focused on infants and children under aged 5 years, however there are other ongoing research involving pregnant women.
In order to mask the strong metallic taste of the iron, the iron in the MoniMix is coated or encapsulated with a thin coat of a soy lipid. The melting temperature for the lipid is around 60°C. If MoniMix are added to food that is hotter than 60°C, the lipid coating around the iron will melt and the food will be exposed to the iron. The result will be that the iron can change the color of the food and will have a taste that may not be liked by children. To prevent changes in the taste and the color of food to which MoniMix is added, it is recommended that MoniMix be added to the food after it is cooled to a temperature below 60°C.
MoniMix is most suited for all children from the age of 6 months to 24 months. It is also suitable for children under the age of 5 years. A single sachet of MoniMix provides the daily dose of 12.5mg Iron recommended by WHO for infants of 6-24 months.
Infants should be exclusively breastfed until 6 months of age. MoniMix should be given once complementary foods are started.
- MoniMix is recommended one packet per day for a child.
- MoniMix is food based rather than a medical intervention, suggesting a daily dose, but unlike conventional medicine, it is not so important if a dose or two are forgotten.
For MoniMix to be efficacious, research findings suggest that a child must be given a minimum of 60 packets over a period of 60-120 days to prevent anemia for at least the next 6 months. A dose of 60 packets should be repeated at every 6 months interval.
According to the WHO recommendation infants should be exclusively breastfed until 6 months of age. We do not recommend using MoniMix before 6 months of age.
There are no major side effects of MoniMix. Color of stool may become dark which happens because of 'unabsorbed1 iron being excreted in the stool. Iron itself is dark in color, thus unabsorbed iron will darken as a result of the iron content of MoniMix.
Content of one whole sachet should be mixed with one meal to achieve the desired result. It is recommended not to split one sachet into portions and administered several times. Since many children do not like to eat too much at one meal, it is recommended that MoniMix be mixed with a small amount of food so that the child finishes the MoniMix mixed food in the first few morsel.
Yes, MoniMix is available in all pharmacies.
Multiple Micronutrient Powder (MNP) is a single-dose packet of vitamins and minerals in powder form that can be sprinkled onto any ready to eat semi-solid food consumed at home, school or any other point of use. The powder is used to increase the micronutrient content of a child's diet without changing their usual dietary habits.
MoniMix Plus is a Multiple Vitamin and Mineral Powder for Children aged 5 to 12 years. It is an integrated approach to prevent anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies through improving the nutrient profile of children's food.
WHO recommends the use of iron-containing micronutrient powder for point of-use fortification of foods to improve iron status and reduce the risk of anaemia in preschool and school-going children (2-12 years). An MNP formulation including elemental iron, zinc and vitamin-A is effective and the addition of other vitamins and minerals could be considered within the recommended daily values for this age group.
Benefits:
• Helps prevent anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies in children (aged 5-12 years).
• Improves body's immune system
• Increases child's appetite and overall nutritional status
• Boosts up child's ability to learn and develops work productivity
• Reduces risk of infections
One sachet of MoniMix Plus should be given to a child aged 5-12 years daily for 3 months at a time. With 3 months interval, keep feeding the child again for 3 months and continue following the same regimen for upto 12 years of age. A child is to be fed a total of 180 sachets per year.
One sachet of MoniMix Plus should be given to a child daily mixing with child's usual diet. Food must be semi-solid (porridge, rice, khichury). It's better to mix the powder with first 2/3 loafs of food. Child should be fed the food within half an hour if the sachet of MoniMix Plus powder mixed with the whole food. One sachet of MoniMix Plus should not be shared with other children.
No adverse occurrences/side-effects have been reported after using MNP. However, mild diarrhea may occur but mothers should not worry about it while it could be treated as usual with increased liquids, and that MNP consumption does not need to be interrupted.
It is contraindicated for children who are suffering from severe malnutrition and children below 6 months of age. It is also contraindicated who have known hypersensitivity to any of it's ingredients.
