Effect of beef consumption on body iron and cognitive function in iron‐deficient women

Abstract

Iron depletion is associated with cognitive impairment in women of reproductive age. This project investigates the effect of moderate beef intake on total body iron and cognitive function in university undergraduate women. At baseline, women (n=17) were classified by body iron tertile and randomly assigned to a beef or nonbeef meat lunch group (85 g, 3x weekly) for 16 weeks. Computerized neurocognitive tests were administered at baseline and week 16. Changes in calculated body iron and cognitive performance from baseline to endpoint were analyzed using generalized linear models and Spearman correlations. Women in the 1st (lowest) vs. 2nd and 3rd iron tertile responded to either lunch intervention with significant increases in body iron (ANOVA, P<0.01) and significant improvements in tests of spatial working memory (decrease in errors and improvement in strategy, P<0.05). Change in body iron was inversely associated with change in spatial working memory error rate (r=−0.49; P<0.05). These preliminary findings suggest that working memory improves in association with increased iron status in iron‐deficient women consuming moderate amounts of beef or nonbeef meat. Funded by the Idaho Beef Council.