Researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that overweight toddlers are more than twice at risk of developing an iron deficiency. The study is the first to link obesity and iron deficiency in children from 1 to 3 years old.

The researchers found that 20 percent of overweight children are iron deficient compared to seven percent of normal children.

Study co-author Dr. Jane Brotanek of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said the study emphasized the importance of correct nutrition in young children.

"What you put in your baby's bottle can affect your child's future," she said. "Given the detrimental long-term effects and high prevalence of iron deficiency, preventing iron deficiency in early childhood is an important public health issue," she added.

The study is based on data from national research involving 1,641 toddlers and appears in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics.