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 .
Iron-fortified rice is as efficacious as supplemental iron drops in infants and young children.
How to improve iron status among infants and young children is of continued concern in low- to middle-income countries , including Brazil . In a double blind , 5-mo , home-based , r and omized trial in Brazil , we gave one group of mildly anemic 6- to 24-mo-old children ( n = 175 )  rice fortified with micronized ferric pyrophosphate using the Ultra Rice technology and a placebo solution ( URG ) and another group identical nonfortified rice and iron drops . We instructed parents on the correct dosage of iron drops and to feed their children rice as they normally would . We measured serum ferritin ( SF ) and hemoglobin ( Hb ) concentrations at baseline and at 5 mo . At baseline , the prevalences of iron deficiency and anemia in the total sample were 73.1 and 100 % , respectively . At 5 mo , SF and Hb increased in both groups , although the change in the URG was larger ( P < 0.01 ) . Adult participants were unable to distinguish cooked fortified rice from unfortified rice in terms of smell , color , or taste . As rice is normally consumed at home , MPF-fortified rice increased iron stores and reduced anemia in a group of mildly anemic children 6 - 24 mo old . In population s where young children are routinely fed approximately 100 g of cooked rice daily , fortifying it with iron may improve iron status at least as well as providing free iron drops
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 .