title: Iron absorption from typical West African meals containing contaminating Fe.
abstract: Iron absorption from three typical West African meals was measured in fourteen subjects using the extrinsic-tag technique with 59Fe and 55Fe. All meals consisted of maize as the staple food. Meals were prepared in Benin under realistic conditions from locally grown foods. Of the non-haem-Fe in the meals 39-73% did not exchange with the added inorganic radio-Fe tracer, depending on the degree of Fe contamination of meals. Non-haem-Fe absorption was low in each maize meal, but was even lower for those eaten with a vegetable sauce than for those eaten with a fish sauce. When haem-Fe absorption was included, 70.0-160 micrograms Fe was absorbed. Expressed on an energy basis, the bioavailable nutrient density was 3.2-7.0 micrograms/100 kJ (13.4-29.5 micrograms/100 kcal). These findings suggest that total Fe available in the typical diets of West African countries does not meet the physiological requirements of large proportions of the population.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche sur les Anémies Nutrionnelles, Institut Scientifique et Technique de l'Alimentation, Paris, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Galan
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cherouvrier
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zohoun
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zohoun
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chauliac
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hercberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001541:Benin; D005504:Food Analysis; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D007504:Iron Radioisotopes; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D007504:Iron Radioisotopes; D007501:Iron