Evaluation of Body Iron Stores as Indicator of Iron Status in School-Age Children
Ans Eilander *
Unilever R & D Vlaardingen, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands.
Saskia Osendarp
OsendarpNutrition, Berkel en Rodenrijs, The Netherlands.
Sumithra Muthayya
The Sax Institute, Sydney, Australia.
Carlene Wilson
School of Medicine, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia and CSIRO Animal, Food and Health Sciences, Adelaide, Australia.
Widjaja Lukito
SEAMEO RECFON (Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Food and Nutrition), Jakarta, Indonesia.
Guus Duchateau
Unilever R & D Vlaardingen, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Objectives: To explore the application of the Cook method to estimate baseline Body Iron Stores (BIS) in children as well as change in BIS and safety following a one-year fortified food intervention.
Methods: Data from two trials in Australia, Indonesia and India assessing the effect of a multiple micronutrient intervention with iron in a total of 1309 children 6-10y were used. Australian and Indonesian children received either 10 mg/d Fe (as EDTA) in a beverage or non-fortified beverage; Indian children received either 2.7 (control) or 18 mg/d Fe (as fumarate) in a drink and biscuit. Serum ferritin, transferrin receptor concentrations were measured at baseline and after 1y and subjects with CRP >5 mg/L were excluded. BIS were calculated following the Cook formula1
Results: Baseline BIS ranged from 2.55±3.00 mg/kg (mean±SD) in Indonesia and 3.22±3.20 mg/kg in India to 3.63±2.03 mg/kg in Australia. After one year, BIS significantly increased in intervention groups compared to controls (treatment effects (95%-CI) were 2.93 (2.53;3.33), 3.25 (2.93;357) and 0.87 (0.35;1.39) mg/kg, for countries respectively). BIS increase was higher in children with a low baseline BIS. In all intervention groups BIS did not exceed 12 mg/kg bodyweight.
Conclusions: BIS calculated following the Cook formula seems a useful indicator for iron status in school-age children, as illustrated by the increase in BIS following the multiple micronutrient interventions with iron levels of 100%RDA. Graphs illustrating the relation between BIS at baseline and after one year intervention will be presented at the conference.