High Burden of Iron and Vitamin B12 Deficiency Among Apparently Healthy Indian Infants Aged 9-12 Months: A Secondary Analysis of Cross-Sectional Data.

Micronutrient deficiencies during infancy adversely affect neurodevelopment, growth and long-term health, yet often remain clinically silent and under-recognized. This retrospective cross-sectional secondary analysis estimates proportion of iron and vitamin B12 deficiency among apparently healthy Indian infants aged 9-12 mo enrolled in a vaccine trial and examines associations with anthropometric indicators. Among 137 infants without overt illness (mean age 9.2 mo, 60% males), ferritin, vitamin B12 and concurrent deficiencies were noted in 89.1%, 72.3%, and 65.7% respectively. Deficiencies were observed across all anthropometric categories and were not associated with growth indices or gender. Sensitivity analyses excluding infants with any degree of undernutrition (n = 99) showed similarly high prevalence. Serum ferritin and vitamin B12 levels were not correlated. These findings reveal substantial hidden burden of micronutrient deficiency in apparently healthy Indian infants, underscoring the limitations of growth-based screening and the need for proactive multi-micronutrient strategies during routine child health visits.