Impact of fortification of flours with iron to reduce the prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency among schoolchildren in Caracas, Venezuela: a follow-up.

In Venezuela, a severe economic crisis starting in 1983 provoked a progressive reduction in the quantity and quality of food consumed by people from the low socioeconomic strata of the population. This situation resulted in a continuous increase in the prevalence of iron deficiency in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1993, an iron-fortification program was started, in which precooked corn and white wheat flours were enriched with iron, vitamin A, thiamine, niacin, and riboflavin.

Colonia Tovar: the history of a semi-isolated Venezuelan population of German ancestry described by HLA class I genes.

The history of Colonia Tovar is very complex, being the home of descendants of only a small fraction of immigrants arriving to the South American continent from a specific region of Germany, with a restricted number of founders, small population size and consanguineous mating, experiencing isolation for 100 years, with later migrations, a low rate of population growth and a high mean number of children per couple. How complex is its genetic structure? Do the highly polymorphic HLA genes reflect its history and confirm the story of this population described by other genes? Several studies have been made in this population, but we describe for the first time the HLA Class I variability in the population of Colonia Tovar using PCR-SSOP. Random genetic drift, founder effect and gene flow could explain the HLA allele and haplotype frequencies observed in this population but alleles at the class I loci were insufficient to identify the German origin of the community established through history.

The relationship between iron deficiency and anemia in Venezuelan children.

The iron status of 3228 subjects from the nutrition survey Proyecto Venezuela was studied. The sample included children from 1 to 16 y of age grouped by age and sex. Values for three indicators of iron status were compared: hemoglobin concentration, serum ferritin concentration, and percentage saturation of serum transferrin.

[Relation of fat consumption to colorectal cancer mortality in a Venezuelan population].

Epidemiologic and experimental studies have pointed to an association between fat intake and colorectal carcinogenesis. In the present work we have studied the correlation between fat intake and mortality caused by colorectal cancer in the venezuelan population. For this purpose, we have calculated the correlation coefficients between the ingestion of total fat, visible fat (vegetable oil, margarine, butter, mayonnaise) as well as non-visible fat (that contained in other foods) and the mortality rate by colorectal cancer with data from nine venezuelan states and geographical regions.

Selenium status of children living in seleniferous areas of Venezuela.

Selenium was measured in red blood cells, serum and hair of children and in breast milk of mothers in seleniferous areas of Venezuela by means of neutron activation analysis. Signs of selenosis were observed only in a few cases. Reduction in the rate of growth is discussed with respect to unequal local nutritional conditions during the growth period.

[Requirements of nutrients which participate in erythropoiesis].

Proteins, some minerals and vitamins, play important roles in erythropoiesis and the survival of the red blood cell. This article deals specifically with the physiological requirements and recommended intakes of iron, folate and vitamin B12. A comparison of the physiologic iron requirements according to age and sex, and the amount of iron which is actually absorbed from the diets consumed by the lower socioeconomic strata of the Venezuelan population; indicates that these diets do not satisfy the requirements at all ages.

Daily physiological iron requirements in children.

Median daily iron absorption was determined in iron-replete males and females between 2 and 19 years of age from the upper and lower socioeconomic strata of the Venezuelan population. A comparison was made with iron absorption of well-nourished children, on the basis of hematological and anthropometric reference values from the U.S.

[Hematologic profile and absorption of iron from diets consumed by a population of low socioeconomic level of 2 Venezuelan states].

Hematologic studies carried out in inhabitants of the State of Carabobo revealed that 19% of the subjects studied presented iron deficiency, this being more prominent in women and in children. Iron deficiency anemia was absent in men, while in the other groups its frequency, as registered, was from 5 to 13%. Tests for iron absorption from foods which form the average diet of the population in the Carabobo State, and the diet consumed by adults from the low socioeconomic strata in the States of Carabobo and Yaracuy, demonstrated that in normal subjects, bioavailability is lower than physiological requirements of men, women and children.

[Comparative study of height and age at menarche according to the socioeconomic level in Venezuela].

This is a retrospective study based on growth and development data published in Venezuela by various authors in the period 1936-1978. The data on height for males of the middle and high socioeconomic strata show growth curves which are very similar to the standards for British children. Likewise, the girls of the same socioeconomic condition follow the British standards, but only up to about 10-12 years of age.