Abstract
Studies in UK and US have reported a temporal decline in the iron content of plant-based foods. Limited research on this topic has been conducted in Australia. The aim of this scoping review was to provide a comprehensive evaluation on the temporal change in iron content of Australian vegetables and legumes from 1900 onward. A systematic search of electronic databases, websites, backward reference searching, and Australian food composition tables was conducted. A total of 34 articles and six versions of Australian food composition databases published between 1930s to 2021, were included in this review. Overall, iron content of vegetables and legumes were assessed at limited time points and geographical origin, cultivars, sampling and analytical techniques varied across studies. The majority of vegetables had similar iron content between two or more timepoints but decreases of 30–50% were noted for sweet corn, red-skinned potatoes, cauliflower and green beans while increases of 150–300% were seen for Hass avocadoes, mushrooms and silverbeet. More pronounced reductions in iron content were observed for legumes, with higher and more variable values reported pre-2000 compared to recent years. Due to limited data and variations in sampling and analytical techniques, no definitive conclusions could be established. As plant-based diets are becoming more popular, consistent monitoring of the nutrient composition of staple plant-based foods is strongly recommended.
Highlights
Iron is commonly considered a mineral of concern for deficiency in people following vegetarian and vegan diets
While eliminating meat can be accomplished with minimal effect on total iron intake [1,2,3], vegetarian diets are associated with an increased consumption of phytate-containing vegetables, legumes and grains which hinder iron bioavailability [3,4]
A total of 19,538 articles were identified from literature databases, food composition tables, and grey literature searches (Figure 1)
Summary
Iron is commonly considered a mineral of concern for deficiency in people following vegetarian and vegan diets. No recent data is available on the prevalence of iron deficiency in Australia for those following a plant-based diet, the prevalence of iron deficiency in adult women, between 25–50 years of age, is estimated to be 20% [7]. Recent market research has shown a rise in the practice of vegetarianism in Australia, with the proportions of population consuming a plant-based diet increasing from 9.7% in 2012 to 12.1% in 2018 [9]. As females are twice as likely to be vegetarian or vegan than males and have higher iron requirements [11], it is important to consider the sources of iron intake when changing to a plant-based diet
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