Daily oral iron supplementation during pregnancy.

Background: Iron and folic acid supplementation has been the preferred intervention to improve iron stores and prevent anaemia among pregnant women, and it may also improve other maternal and birth outcomes.

Objectives: To assess the effects of daily oral iron supplements for pregnant women, either alone or in conjunction with folic acid, or with other vitamins and minerals as a public health intervention.

Search Methods: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (2 July 2012).

Intermittent oral iron supplementation during pregnancy.

Background: Anaemia is a frequent condition during pregnancy, particularly among women from developing countries who have insufficient iron intake to meet increased iron needs of both the mother and the fetus.Traditionally, gestational anaemia has been prevented with the provision of daily iron supplements throughout pregnancy, but adherence to this regimen due to side effects, interrupted supply of the supplements, and concerns about safety among women with an adequate iron intake, have limited the use of this intervention. Intermittent (i.

Antenatal iron supplements consumed daily produce oxidative stress in contrast to weekly supplementation in Mexican non-anemic women.

Unlabelled: Universal prenatal daily supplementation with iron (60-120mg iron) plus folic acid (0.4mg), as recommended by INACG/WHO/UNICEF, prevents anemia where iron deficiency is prevalent but may be excessive for non-anemic women. Weekly supplementation with 120mg iron plus various amounts of folic acid similarly prevents significant anemia.

Iron endowment at birth: maternal iron status and other influences.

The iron endowment at birth depends, in large part, on the newborn's birth weight and gestational age. These are determined by many factors, some of which are maternal characteristics, including the following: maternal iron stores at her own birth and during her own early life, maternal growth and development, maternal age at conception, intergenesic intervals, maternal body characteristics and iron status at conception and during early pregnancy, gestational body weight gain, and iron status throughout gestation, particularly at conception and early pregnancy, and gestational body weight gain. Although less studied, paternal influences on the initiation and progression of pregnancy and on maternal environmental exposures are also important.

Pre-pregnancy iron reserves, iron supplementation during pregnancy, and birth weight.

Background: Early iron supplementation in women with sufficient reserves could provoke iron excess resulting in haemoconcentration and low infant birth weight (IBW).

Aim: To clarify the influence of early iron supplementation on maternal iron status and the IBW, taking into account pre-pregnancy iron deposits.

Study Design: Longitudinal, prospective study.

INCAP studies of hematologic and gastrointestinal function in healthy individuals and those with protein-energy malnutrition and infection.

Anemia is highly prevalent, especially in poorly nourished populations living in unsanitary conditions. Studies of the Central American population showed that iron was the predominant deficient hematopoietic micronutrient and that correction of nutrient deficiencies led to hematological normality as defined by WHO. The bioavailability of diverse iron compounds added to the mostly vegetable diets of such populations showed the superior absorption of chelated iron (NaFeEDTA) and its strong effectiveness in correcting iron deficiency when added to sugar.

INCAP studies of energy, amino acids, and protein.

This Special Issue summarizes the results of several studies aimed at providing information on a series of questions related to the adequate protein and energy intakes that allow adequate growth and function in children and work performance and productivity in adults. The effect of different sources of protein on nitrogen balance and the requirements of essential amino acids in young children were also explored in fully recovered, previously malnourished children housed in the Metabolic Ward of the Biomedical Division of INCAP. The following are the main results of these investigations: Animal experiments and studies in children recovering from protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) strongly suggest that even when requirements of all nutrients are satisfied, inactivity reduces the rate of linear growth and physical activity improves it as well as lean body mass repletion.

INCAP studies of kwashiorkor and marasmus.

This article summarizes thirty years of intensive clinical metabolic and therapeutic studies of the consequences of severe protein deficiency relative to calories, which results in kwashiorkor, and of a balanced deficiency of protein and calories that results in marasmus. Evidence is provided that these are two different metabolic diseases, but kwashiorkor is usually superimposed on some degree of chronic marasmus and hence most cases studied were marasmic kwashiorkor. The value of the creatinine/height index to indicate the degree of lean body cell mass with any disease is demonstrated.

Effects of C282Y, H63D, and S65C HFE gene mutations, diet, and life-style factors on iron status in a general Mediterranean population from Tarragona, Spain.

Mutations in the HFE gene result in iron overload and can produce hereditary hemochromatosis (HH), a disorder of iron metabolism characterized by increased intestinal iron absorption. Dietary quality, alcoholism and other life-style factors can increase the risk of iron overload, especially among genetically at risk populations. Polymorphisms of the HFE gene (C282Y, H63D and S65C) were measured together with serum ferritin (SF), transferrin saturation (TS) and hemoglobin, to measure iron status, in randomly-selected healthy subjects living in the Spanish Mediterranean coast (n = 815; 425 females, 390 males), 18 to 75 years of age.

Effects and safety of preventive oral iron or iron+folic acid supplementation for women during pregnancy.

Background: Intake of supplements containing iron or a combination of iron and folic acid by pregnant women may improve maternal health and pregnancy outcomes. Recently, intermittent supplementation regimens have been proposed as alternatives to daily regimens.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness and safety of daily and intermittent use of iron or iron+folic acid supplements by pregnant women.

Update on common indicators of nutritional status: food access, food consumption, and biochemical measures of iron and anemia.

This paper presents some of the most commonly utilized indicators to assess food and nutritional status. With respect to the indicators reflecting food access, those addressing poverty as well as food consumption are included. In addition, a variety of serum biochemical measures for the estimation of iron nutritional status and anemia are discussed; it is recommended that some of these be adjusted to account for sex, age, physiological status, and altitude above sea level.

Achievements, challenges, and promising new approaches in vitamin and mineral deficiency control.

Micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) contribute significantly to the world's disease and mortality burden. Global efforts addressing MNDs have achieved significant yet heterogeneous progress across and within regions and countries. For vitamin A and iodine interventions, enhancing achievements in coverage require further political and financial commitment and targeting of hard-to-reach populations.

Daily supplementation with iron increases lipid peroxidation in young women with low iron stores.

The aim of this study was to determine whether women with low iron stores (plasma ferritin View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dialyzability of minerals in corn masa gruel (atole) fortified with different iron compounds: effects of ascorbic acid, disodium EDTA, and phytic acid.

Background: Lime-treated corn gruel (atole) is a common weaning food in iron-deficient populations, especially in Mexico and Central America, and is a potential vehicle for fortification with iron.

Objective: The objective of this study was to screen promising iron compounds for use in the fortification of atole, using in vitro enzymatic digestion-dialysis techniques, while also considering their response to known iron absorption enhancers and inhibitors.

Methods: Atole, unaltered or preincubated with phytase, was fortified with iron (10 mg/L) from ferrous sulfate, ferrous bisglycinate, or ferrous fumarate, or with ferric chloride, ferric ammonium citrate, or ferric sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (NaFeEDTA), and submitted to in vitro digestion.

Frequency of the hemochromatosis gene (HFE) 282C-->Y, 63H-->D, and 65S-->C mutations in a general Mediterranean population from Tarragona, Spain.

Three mutations have recently been detected in the hereditary hemochromatosis HFE gene (282C-->Y, 63H-->D, and 65S-->C). To determine their prevalence in a northeastern Spanish Mediterranean population, we studied 812 subjects between 18 and 75 years of age, randomly selected from the electoral roll of three villages. There were no homozygotes for the 282C-->Y or S65D mutations in this sample.

Weekly iron as a safe alternative to daily supplementation for nonanemic pregnant women.

Background: We undertook this study to compare the effectiveness and safety of antenatal daily and weekly supplementation with iron, folic acid, and vitamin B(12) in healthy, pregnant women who were not anemic at gestational week 20.

Methods: Women with singleton pregnancies and blood hemoglobin (Hb) >115 g/L at gestational week 20 (equivalent to 105 g/L at sea level) were randomly assigned to two groups, one consuming one tablet containing 60 mg iron, 200 mug folic acid and 1 mug vitamin B(12) daily (DS, n = 56); the other consuming two tablets once weekly (WS, n = 60). Blood Hb and serum ferritin concentrations were measured every 4 weeks from weeks 20 to 36, and pregnancy outcomes were evaluated.

Community mobilization and social marketing to promote weekly iron-folic acid supplementation in women of reproductive age in Vietnam: impact on anemia and iron status.

The community mobilization and social marketing program promoting a preventive approach of weekly iron-folic acid supplementation in women of reproductive age improved iron status of non-pregnant women in Vietnam. Three to six months of weekly pre-pregnancy supplementation and regular weekly intake of supplements during pregnancy allowed women to achieve good iron and hemoglobin status during the two first trimesters of pregnancy. In the third trimester, iron deficiency and anemia were notably present but low birth weight prevalence was low.

Importance of pre-pregnancy and pregnancy iron status: can long-term weekly preventive iron and folic acid supplementation achieve desirable and safe status?

Most women worldwide enter pregnancy without adequate iron reserves or are already iron deficient. Estimates of iron needs during pregnancy are markedly reduced when iron reserves are available. The needs of absorbed iron to correct mild to moderate anemia in the last two trimesters are estimated.

Nutrition and immunological status in long-term follow up of children with short bowel syndrome.

Background: Little is known about the long-term evolution, nutrition status, growth, and eventual deficiencies of patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) adapted to oral feeding after parenteral nutrition (PN). Because there are not absolute criteria for weaning from parenteral or enteral nutrition to oral feeding, new nutrient deficiencies may develop. Subtle nutrition deficits could induce subclinical immune deficiencies; therefore, we studied long-term growth, nutrition status, and the state of the immune system in 10 patients with SBS after weaning PN for at least 2 years.

Why and how to use radioisotopes in human nutrition research.

Tracer methodology using radioisotopes in human nutrition research has been the object of unjustified limitations in its use. These limitations have encumbered research studies where micronutrient and macronutrient deficiencies are prevalent. Stable isotope methodologies are expensive, including the cost of the isotopes, equipment and its maintenance, and are often fraught with serious pitfalls.

Intermittent iron supplementation regimens are able to maintain safe maternal hemoglobin concentrations during pregnancy in Venezuela.

Daily iron supplementation programs for pregnant women recommend amounts of iron that are considered by some to be excessive, and either lower-dose or less frequent iron supplementation regimens have been proposed. A randomized, placebo-controlled study was performed to assess and compare the relative effectiveness of a weekly (WS) or twice weekly (TW) iron supplementation schedule in maintaining or achieving hemoglobin (Hb) levels at term considered to carry minimal maternal and fetal risk (90-130 g/L). Pregnant women (n = 116) at wk 10-30 of gestation (63 WS and 53 TW) were enrolled in the study (52 in WS and 44 TW completed the study).

[Iron and vitamin A deficiencies and prevalence of anemia in boys and girls between 6 to 24 months of age in Chaco, Argentina].

To determine the prevalence of anemia, and iron (ID) and vitamin A deficiencies aiming at their prevention, 414 children between 6 and 24 months of age, were randomly selected from the whole province of Chaco. A sociodemographic survey was implemented, and hemoglobin (Hb), plasma ferritin and retinol were measured. Anemia prevalence (Hb < 110 g/L) was 66.

Iron and zinc absorption from two bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes in young women.

Extrinsic and intrinsic iron and zinc labels were used to test iron and zinc absorption from two bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genotypes, containing normal (common beans, CB) or higher (HFeZnB) iron and zinc concentrations, fed in single meals to young women with low iron reserves. The women were divided into two groups, with one receiving a CB test meal (n = 12) and the other, an HFeZnB test meal (n = 11). The beans were intrinsically labeled hydroponically with (55)Fe (CB and HFeZnB) and with (70)Zn (HFeZnB).

[Iron deficiency and anemia in pregnant women from Chaco, Argentina].

Aiming at their prevention, to determine the prevalence of gestational iron deficiency and anemia, considering access to health care and associations with social and biological variables in the Province of el Chaco, Argentina. Three hundred and sixty four, randomly selected pregnant women from the whole province participated. Mean Hemoglobin (Hb) +/- SD dropped progressively from 118.