Sensitivity analyses and meta-regression for hemoglobin suggested a higher response with lower trial quality ( suboptimal allocation concealment and blinding ) , use of condiments , and sodium iron edetate and a lower response when adults were included .
Consumption of iron-fortified foods results in an improvement in hemoglobin , serum ferritin , and iron nutriture and a reduced risk of remaining anemic and iron deficient
BACKGROUND The utility of iron fortification of food to improve iron deficiency , anemia , and biological outcomes is not proven unequivocally .
Effectiveness of a large-scale iron-fortified milk distribution program on anemia and iron deficiency in low-income young children in Mexico.
BACKGROUND Anemia during infancy impairs neurodevelopment . Little information has been published about the effectiveness of large-scale programs on anemia and iron-deficiency prevention . OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess the effectiveness of a large-scale program that distributes subsidized iron-fortified milk in Mexico on  anemia and iron deficiency in children aged 12 - 30 mo . DESIGN A double-blinded , group-r and omized effectiveness trial was conducted in 12 milk distribution clusters assigned to consume iron-fortified ( FM ; n = 7 ) or nonfortified ( NFM ; n = 5 ) milk . A daily portion of FM contained 5.28 mg Fe ( ferrous gluconate ) and 48 mg sodium ascorbate . RESULTS Overall treatment effects were documented at 6 and 12 mo for anemia and for iron deficiency assessed by both serum ferritin ( SF ) and serum soluble transferrin receptor ( sTfR ) ( interaction : P < 0.10 ) . Differential effects at 6 mo ( P = 0.004 ) and 12 mo ( P = 0.664 ) were documented only for sTfR. Estimated prevalences ( EPs ) of anemia ( hemoglobin < 110 g/L ) from baseline to 6 and 12 mo decreased from 42.6 % to 19.7 % and 9.4 % , respectively , in the NFM group ( n = 210 ) and from 44.5 % to 12.7 % and 4.0 % , respectively , in the FM group ( n = 357 ) . EPs of SF < 12 mug/L from baseline to 6 and 12 mo changed from 36.0 % to 41.8 % and 17.1 % , respectively , in the NFM group ( n = 43 ) and from 29.8 % to 18.6 % and 5.7 % , respectively , in the FM group ( n = 144 ) . EPs of sTfR > 3.3 mg/L from baseline to 6 and 12 mo decreased from 16.2 % to 8.3 % and 2.0 % , respectively , in the NFM group ( n = 114 ) and from 15.5 % to 0.7 % and 1.1 % , respectively , in the FM group . CONCLUSION A large-scale iron-fortified subsidized-milk program was effective at reducing the rates of anemia and iron deficiency in Mexican children during 12 mo of implementation . This trial was registered at clinical trials.gov as NCT00508131
Sensitivity analyses and meta-regression for hemoglobin suggested a higher response with lower trial quality ( suboptimal allocation concealment and blinding ) , use of condiments , and sodium iron edetate and a lower response when adults were included .
Consumption of iron-fortified foods results in an improvement in hemoglobin , serum ferritin , and iron nutriture and a reduced risk of remaining anemic and iron deficient
BACKGROUND The utility of iron fortification of food to improve iron deficiency , anemia , and biological outcomes is not proven unequivocally .