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 .
Efficacy of iron-fortified whole maize flour on iron status of schoolchildren in Kenya: a randomised controlled trial
BACKGROUND Sodium iron edetic acid ( NaFeEDTA ) might be a more bioavailable source of iron than electrolytic iron , when added to maize flour . We aim ed to assess the effect , on children 's iron status , of consumption of whole maize flour fortified with iron as NaFeEDTA or electrolytic iron . METHODS 516 children , aged 3 - 8 years , from four schools in Marafa , Kenya , were r and omly assigned to four groups . All were given the same amount of porridge five times a week . The porridge for one group was made from unfortified whole maize flour ; for the other three groups it was fortified with either high-dose NaFeEDTA ( 56 mg/kg ) , low-dose NaFeEDTA ( 28 mg/kg ) , or electrolytic iron ( 56 mg/kg ) . Concentrations of haemoglobin , plasma ferritin , and transferrin receptor were analysed in sample s taken at baseline and at the end of the 5-month intervention . The primary outcome was iron-deficiency anaemia . We analysed data on an intention-to-treat basis . This trial is registered with Clinical Trials.gov , number NCT00386074 . FINDINGS The prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia in children given unfortified flour was 10 % . Compared with placebo , the prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia in children given flour fortified with high-dose NaFeEDTA , low-dose NaFeEDTA , and electrolytic iron changed by -89 % ( 95 % CI -97 % to -49 % ) , -48 % ( -77 % to 20 % ) , and 59 % ( -18 % to 209 % ) , respectively . Consumption of high-dose NaFeEDTA improved all measured iron-status indicators . Low-dose NaFeEDTA decreased the prevalence of iron deficiency but did not noticeably change the prevalence of anaemia . Electrolytic iron did not improve any of these iron-status indicators .  Children who were iron-deficient at baseline benefited more from high-dose and low-dose NaFeEDTA than those with sufficient iron at baseline . INTERPRETATION Consumption of whole maize flour fortified with NaFeEDTA caused modest , dose-dependent improvements in children 's iron status . Fortification with electrolytic iron did not improve their iron status . Therefore , in high-phytate flours , NaFeEDTA is more suitable than electrolytic iron for supplementation of iron in the diet
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 .