Effects of low-dose iron supplementation in women with low serum ferritin concentration.
We studied effects of dose and treatment duration during low-dose iron supplementation in premenopausal, non-pregnant women, with initial serum ferritin and haemoglobin concentrations < 20 micrograms x l-1 and > or = 120 g x l-1, respectively. The study was randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled. Three groups completed a 6-month study: placebo (n = 27), FE-9 (9 mg iron x day-1, n = 18) and FE-27 group (27 mg iron x day-1, n = 19). The supplement consisted of 11% heme and 89% inorganic iron. In FE-27, serum ferritin increased from (mean, 95% confidence interval) 11.8 (9.7; 14.4) to 25.3 (18.6; 34.4) micrograms x l-1 in 1 month, and remained stable after that (ANOVA: group effect, P = 0.0003). In both FE-9 and FE-27, blood haemoglobin levels increased from 136 (132; 140) to 142 (139; 145) g x l-1 in 1 month, remaining constant after that (group effect, P = 0.001). Hence, the 27 mg daily dose of organic/inorganic iron corrected both mild anaemia and storage iron depletion, whereas the 9 mg dose did not affect iron stores. Elongation of treatment duration above 1 month brought about only minor changes.
Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
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M
Fogelholm
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M
Suominen
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H
Rita
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004338:Drug Combinations; D015987:Effect Modifier, Epidemiologic; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood* / Q000172:deficiency*; D005296:Ferrous Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006418:Heme / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D013997:Time Factors
D004338:Drug Combinations; D005296:Ferrous Compounds; D006454:Hemoglobins; D006418:Heme; D005293:Ferritins; C031621:ferrous fumarate