Male sex and iron deficiency risk at 6 months: the mediating role of rapid weight gain (opens in new tab)

BackgroundMale infants exhibit a higher risk of iron deficiency (ID) than females, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Given that rapid postnatal growth may deplete iron stores and males typically experience faster early development, this study aimed to test whether rapid weight gain (WG) during the first 6 months mediates the association between male sex and ID risk at 6 months.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of healthy term infants born at Sichuan Provincial Women...