This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (7)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hallberg, L.
Right arrow Articles by Hulthén, L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hallberg, L.
Right arrow Articles by Hulthén, L.
Related Collections
Right arrow Nutrition & Metabolism

PEDIATRICS Vol. 111 No. 4 April 2003, pp. 864-870

The Role of Meat to Improve the Critical Iron Balance During Weaning

Leif Hallberg, MD, PhD, Michael Hoppe, MSci, Maria Andersson, MSci and Lena Hulthén, MDrSc

From the Department of Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Internal Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

--> Background. Iron requirements during the weaning period are the highest per unit body weight during human life, and diet is often insufficient to cover iron needs. For the first time in infant nutrition the absorption of both nonheme and heme iron from a typical weaning gruel after addition of meat with and without ascorbic acid (AA) to improve bioavailability was studied.

Methods. Nonheme and heme iron absorption from gruel was measured in 33 adults using 2 radioiron isotopes—an inorganic iron salt to label nonheme iron, the other biosynthetically labeled rabbit hemoglobin to label heme iron. Iron absorption was measured from the basal gruel (based on milkpowder and cereals) and from basal gruel added 20 g red powdered meat, alone and together with 20 mg AA in 4 different trials.

Results. Nonheme iron absorption from the basal meal was 0.33 mg/1000 kcal and the increase from added 20 mg AA was 39%, whereas addition of red meat increased nonheme iron absorption by 85%. This latter increase was unexpectedly high. Total iron absorption was further increased by heme iron absorption of 0.23 mgFe/1000 kcal. When adding both meat and AA, total iron absorption amounted to 1.08 mg iron/1000 kcal, ie, exceeding 1 mg/1000 kcal, a level estimated to correspond with daily iron requirements in 95% of infants aged 12 months.

Conclusions. Addition of powdered red meat to weaning gruels markedly increased total iron absorption. A weaning diet with added powdered meat and AA may serve as a viable option to satisfy the body’s high iron requirements during this critical period.

Key Words: weaning foods • heme and nonheme iron absorption • meat • ascorbic acid

Abbreviations: AA, ascorbic acid • SD, standard deviation • SEM, standard error of the mean

Received for publication Jul 8, 2002; Accepted Nov 25, 2002.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am. J. Clin. Nutr.Home page
M. F Miller, R. J Stoltzfus, P. J Iliff, L. C Malaba, N. V Mbuya, the Zimbabwe Vitamin A for Mothers and Babies Proj, and J. H Humphrey
Effect of maternal and neonatal vitamin A supplementation and other postnatal factors on anemia in Zimbabwean infants: a prospective, randomized study
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, July 1, 2006; 84(1): 212 - 222.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]