Abstract
Deficient human diet is usually reduced in many nutrients, but animal studies on iron absorption have been only carried out for rats fed well-balanced (control) and iron-deficient diets. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of iron or iron/zinc supplementation on iron apparent absorption (IAA) in rats fed a diet reduced in all vitamins and minerals (R). The study was conducted on 77, 6-week-old male Wistar rats in 3 stages as follows: stage I, 4-week period of adaptation to R diet (50% less vitamins and minerals compared to AIN-93M recommendations); stage II, 4-week supplementation period with iron (RSFe) or iron/zinc (RSFeZn); stage III, 2-week post-supplementation period (rats fed R diet). Feces samples to IAA determination were collected at the 20–22nd days of stage I and II and the 10–12th days of stage III. To determine the changes in IAA after introducing and discontinuation of supplementation, feces were collected for 3 days after introducing (stage II) and 5 days after the supplementation discontinuation (stage III). At the end of stage II, compared to R rats, the IAA was statistically significantly higher in RSFe and RSFeZn rats (30.3 ± 2.0% vs. 47.4 ± 1.2% and 51.0 ± 1.7%, respectively). After introducing iron or iron/zinc supplementation, the IAA stabilized fast already in the first day, while after discontinuation of the supplementation, at least 4 days was required to the stabilization. At the end of stage III, the IAA was significantly lower in RSFe (15.8 ± 6.6%) than in RSFeZn rats (43.4 ± 5.9%). In conclusion, to confirm that iron and zinc supplementation is more beneficial than iron supplementation only, especially after discontinuation of supplementation, further research among humans is necessary.
Highlights
Iron and zinc are micronutrients necessary for the proper functioning of the organism
In the supplementation period, intake of iron was significantly higher in RSFe and RSFeZn rats compared to R rats, and zinc intake was significantly higher in RSFeZn rats compared to R and RSFe rats
These results indicate that supplementation of well-balanced diet should not be recommended and iron absorption depends on its amount in the diet and on other diet ingredients
Summary
Iron and zinc are micronutrients necessary for the proper functioning of the organism. They perform catalytic, structural, and regulatory functions, e.g., they are a part of enzymes, participate in redox reactions, as well as they are necessary for a transport of oxygen and DNA synthesis [1, 2]. Anemia is one of the most common global diseases, occurs in a third of the world’s population, half of which is due to iron deficiency, most often among children and women, especially during pregnancy [3]. Systematic review of trials showed 50% effectiveness of iron supplementation on reducing the risk of anemia and almost 80% on reducing risk of iron deficiency among children [9]. Introduction of iron supplementation could reduce global iron deficiency anemia by about 50% in pregnant and nonpregnant women [10]
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