Child growth

Overview

Iron, Vitamin D, and Inulin have been studied for child growth with mostly null or unclear growth effects. Oral iron across a wide dose range for up to one year did not increase height or weight in available trials.

Maternal vitamin D may slightly affect birth length and later bone measures in some studies but not first-year growth metrics. Inulin added to infant formula did not increase size and length, though it shortened fever duration during infections in one trial. See the heatmap and evidence reviews below.

Effect graph

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Relevant supplements

Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.


Vitamin D	★★★★★	Low
Inulin	★★★★★	Low
Iron	★★★★★	Very Low / None

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Studies

Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.

3 supplements for rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.

Vitamin DView supplement →

Reconsider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeLowEvidenceHighTrustMedium

Evidence Review

It’s unclear whether taking vitamin D helps babies grow or improves their bone health.
Studies show that when pregnant women take vitamin D, babies might be a little longer at birth and have stronger bones up to age 7.
But vitamin D doesn’t seem to affect baby length or weight in the first year, head size in early childhood, or bone size and strength in newborns.
The vitamin D amounts taken during pregnancy in studies varied widely, from small daily doses to larger weekly or monthly doses, usually starting early in pregnancy and continuing until the baby is born.

Browse 4 studies2 meta-analyses

RCTPregnancy vitamin D supplementation and offspring bone mineral density in childhood follow-up of a randomized controlled trial2024n=454

MAVIDOS follow-up of 447 children at ages 6–7 found maternal 1000 IU/day cholecalciferol during pregnancy increased offspring bone mineral density versus placebo.

Effect: Benefit
Dose: 1000 IU/day
Population: Pregnant women
Participants: 454
Ages: 6–7

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MetaThe effect of pregnancy vitamin D supplementation on offspring bone mineral density in childhood: a systematic review and meta-analysis2023n=1,358

A meta-analysis of 5 pregnancy vitamin D RCTs found supplementation increased offspring whole-body-less-head BMD at ages 4–6 years (SMD 0.16) with smaller BMC effects.

Effect: Benefit
Dose: 400 IU/day
Population: Women
Participants: 1,358
Ages: 4–6

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MetaEffects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on bone health and offspring growth: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials2022n=5,390

A meta-analysis of 23 pregnancy RCTs (5,390 participants) found vitamin D increased birth length and cord 25(OH)D but showed inconsistent effects on neonatal bone measures.

Effect: Benefit
Dose: 1000 IU/day
Population: Pregnant women
Participants: 5,390

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RCTVitamin D Supplementation in Pregnancy and Lactation and Infant Growth2018n=1,164

In 1,164 Bangladeshi infants from mothers randomized to weekly prenatal/postpartum vitamin D up to 28,000 IU, supplementation did not improve length-for-age at 1 year.

Effect: No Benefit
Duration: 17–24 weeks
Dose: 420–28,000 IU/week prenatal; 1,000–6,400 IU/week postpartum
Population: Women
Participants: 1,164

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InulinView supplement →

Reconsider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeLowEvidenceLowTrustMedium

Evidence Review

In studies with healthy babies fed only formula, adding a special mix of inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides to formula did not help babies grow bigger or longer.
It did help reduce how long babies had a fever during infections, but it did not lower the number of infections.
It’s not clear which ingredient caused this effect.

Browse 1 study

RCTLong-Term Safety and Efficacy of Prebiotic Enriched Infant Formula-A Randomized Controlled Trial2021n=160

In 160 healthy infants, formula supplemented with 0.8 g/dL inulin-type oligosaccharides was evaluated for safety, tolerance, and microbiota effects over the first year.

Duration: 7 days
Dose: 0.8 g/day
Population: Children
Participants: 160
Ages: <4 months

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IronView supplement →

Reconsider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeVery Low / NoneEvidenceHighTrustMedium

Evidence Review

Research shows that giving children oral iron supplements in amounts ranging from 2 to 80 milligrams daily, or based on their weight, for up to a year does not help them grow faster.
Taking iron does not seem to increase height or weight growth in most children according to these studies.

Browse 4 studies4 meta-analyses

MetaEffect of iron intervention on growth during gestation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence: a systematic review with meta-analysis2013

A meta-analysis through February 2010 found iron interventions had little overall effect on height, weight, head circumference, or birth weight across gestation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence.

Dose: 40–66 mg/day
Population: Women
Ages: 6+

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MetaEffects of micronutrients on growth of children under 5 y of age: meta-analyses of single and multiple nutrient interventions2009n=43

Meta-analyses of micronutrient trials in children under 5 found multimicronutrient interventions improved growth more than single-nutrient supplements, with iron alone showing smaller effects.

Effect: Benefit
Population: Children/adolescents
Participants: 43
Ages: Under 5

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MetaEffect of iron supplementation on physical growth in children: systematic review of randomised controlled trials2006

A meta-analysis of 25 pediatric iron supplementation trials found no significant pooled effect on physical growth anthropometry.

Effect: No Benefit
Duration: 6 months
Population: Children/adolescents
Ages: 6+

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MetaMultimicronutrient interventions but not vitamin a or iron interventions alone improve child growth: results of 3 meta-analyses2004

Three meta-analyses found multimicronutrient supplementation improved child height and weight, whereas vitamin A or iron alone did not significantly enhance growth.

Effect: No Benefit
Population: Children/adolescents

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Evidence visualised

Same ratings as above, aggregated so you can see coverage and imbalance.

Purchase-guidance distribution

How many supplements fall in each purchase band

Effect-size distribution

How large the reported benefits tend to be

Study distribution across 3 supplements for child growth (9 studies total).
Supplement	DEX	Studies	Meta-analyses	Share
Iron	★★★★★40%	4	4	44%
Vitamin D	★★★★★52%	4	2	44%
Inulin	★★★★★44%	1	0	11%

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Overview

Effect graph

Relevant supplements

Studies

Evidence visualised

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