Iron Isotope Study of an Iron Fatty Acid Complex

The study aims at assessing the iron (Fe) bioavailability from a newly developed iron compound - an iron fatty acid complex. The iron from the compound is hypothesized to have a higher absorption rate than commonly available supplements in the market. The study is a cross over, human iron isotope study with three arms where participants consume the experimental dietary products in a randomized fashion. The study duration is of 45 days - from the day of the capsule administration till the last blood sampling point

Iron deficiency remains a major public health concern in both industrialized and non-industrialized (developing) countries. Most supplements in the present day, to address the problem of iron deficiency, are in the form of ferrous salts, especially ferrous sulfate. Ferrous salts are absorbed by the non-heme iron pathway involving the Divalent Metal Transporter 1 (DMT-1) receptor, where the absorption rate is 20% of the total iron content. The common strategy of the food supplement industries is to increase the iron load in the supplements to provide the necessary amount of iron, compensating for the low absorption rate. However, these have side effects associated with the high dosage. Instead of a high dosage, a more effective strategy would be to incorporate the iron in a way that the absorption rate is maximized. The intervention product, an iron fatty acid complex (IFAC), containing 12 mg of iron, is expected to be absorbed as effective as any ferrous sulfate supplement in the market due to the alternative metabolic route that is hypothesized to be taken by the complex.

The first week of the study comprises of the administration of the capsules containing the complexes to the participants on day 1 , day 3 and day 5 of the study respectively. Blood samples are collected on day 10,20, 30 and 40 and 160 days after the last day of the capsule administration..

The primary objectives of this trial are:

To assess the iron bioavailability from the developed iron salt fatty acid complexes (IFAC) and micro-emulsified iron fatty acid complex (MIFAC) and compare it with the bioavailability of the reference ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) To investigate whether the MIFAC promotes absorption compared to IFAC and the reference.

Fractional iron absorption from the three intervention products will be calculated based on the shift of the stable iron isotope ratios in collected blood samples at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 160 days after administration of the stable isotopically labelled capsules. Stable iron isotope ratios will be determined by mass spectrometry.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* age of 18 - 40 years old
* marginal iron status (ferritin \<25 ng/ml; measured by study coordinator)
* body weight up to 65 kg
* normal body mass index (bodyweight \[kg\] / (height \[m\])2 = 18.5 - 25)
* do not take any vitamin or mineral supplements two weeks before and during the study.
* do not have a metabolic, gastrointestinal or chronic diseases
* able to communicate in and comprehend English language

Exclusion Criteria:

* pregnant or breast-feeding
* on long-term medication (except oral contraceptive)
* elevated C-reactive Protein (\>5mg/L; will be measured by study coordinator)
* medium or strong anemic (hemoglobin \<9.0 g/dL; will be measured by study coordinator)
* donated blood within the last 4 months before the study start date
* taking part in another clinical study at the same time or had within the last 30 days before the study date
* participated in an earlier study using iron stable isotopes.
* eating disorder or a strong allergy.
* cannot be expected to comply with study protocol (e.g. not available on certain study appointments or difficulties with blood sampling)
* unable to understand the information sheet and the informed consent form due to cognitive or language reasons