The effect of daily low-dose iron supplements in female blood donors with depleted iron stores: comparison with female non-donors.
Female blood donors with serum ferritin < or = 20 micrograms l-1 and haemoglobin > 120 g l-1 participated in an iron supplement study with two different low-dose supplements in a period without donations. Comparable non-donors served as controls. Serum ferritin, haemoglobin and transferrin were determined. Increases in serum ferritin and in haemoglobin, and decrease in transferrin were highly significant (p < 0.01) in both donor groups. In one of the non-donor groups the increase in serum ferritin and decrease in transferrin were highly significant (p < 0.01), while in the other only transferrin changed significantly (p < 0.03). The increases in serum ferritin and haemoglobin over a 5-month period were significantly higher among donors (p < 0.001) than among non-donors. We interpret the results to mean that the donors have a more efficient iron absorption.
Borch-Iohnsen
B
B
Institute for Nutrition Research, University of Oslo, Norway.
Halvorsen
R
R
Stenberg
V
V
Flesland
O
O
Mowinckel
P
P
D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged
D006454:Hemoglobins; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron