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Research: ANDERSEN and COLLEAGUES
Listed in Issue 258
Abstract
ANDERSEN and COLLEAGUES, 1. Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; 2. International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 3. WorldFish, Banani, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Email: s.thilsted@cgiar.org assess the effect of Mola (Amblypharyngodon mola) - a nutrient-rich, small fish - consumption on iron status in children with marginal vitamin A status.
Background
Mola (Amblypharyngodon mola) is a nutrient-rich, small fish found in ponds and rice fields in Bangladesh. The aim of the present intervention was to assess the effect of mola consumption on iron status in children with marginal vitamin A status.
Methodology
Bangladeshi children (n=196), aged 3-7 years, with marginal vitamin A status were randomly allocated to one of three intervention groups served different fish curries: mola curry (experimental group); rui (Labeo rohita) curry with added retinyl palmitate (positive control group); or rui curry (negative control group). The intervention meals were served 6 days/week for 9 weeks. The experimental and positive control meals were designed to contain similar amounts of retinol activity equivalents per portion. The mola curry contained four times more iron compared to the rui curries due to different iron content in the two fish species. Haemoglobin, ferritin, serum transferrin receptor and Creactive protein were measured at screening and endpoint.
Results
In the experimental group receiving mola, serum transferrin receptor concentration declined 0.73 mg/L (95% CI 0.17, 1.28, p=0.01) compared to the positive control group, while there were no differences between groups in ferritin or haemoglobin.
Conclusion
Consumption of mola instead of rui has potentially an effect on iron status in children with marginal vitamin A status, seen as a decrease in serum transferrin receptor concentration.
References
Andersen AB1, Schmidt LKh1, Faurholt-Jepsen D1, Roos N1, Friis H1, Kongsbak K1, Wahed MA2, Thilsted SH3. The effect of daily consumption of the small fish Amblypharyngodon mola or added vitamin A on iron status: a randomised controlled trial among Bangladeshi children with marginal vitamin A status. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr.25(3):464-71. doi: 10.6133/apjcn.092015.11. 2016.
