NaFeEDTA fortified soy sauce showed higher iron absorption rate in Chinese females.
OBJECTIVE
NaFeEDTA was considered as a promising iron fortificant for controlling iron deficiency anemia. Soy sauce is a suitable food carrier for iron fortification and is a popular condiment in China. Iron absorption rates of NaFeEDTA and FeSO4 were observed and compared in adult female subjects.


METHODS
The stable isotope tracer method was used in Chinese females consuming a typical Chinese diet. Ten healthy young Chinese women were selected as subjects in the 15-day study. A plant-based diet was used based on the dietary pattern of adult women in the 1992 National Nutrition Survey. Six milligram of 54Fe in 54FeSO4 soy sauce and 3 mg 58Fe in Na58FeEDTA soy sauce were given to the same subjects in two days. Food samples and fecal samples were collected and analyzed.


RESULTS
Iron absorption rates of NaFeEDTA and FeSO4 were 10.51% +/- 2.83 and 4.73% +/- 2.15 respectively. The 58Fe (NaFeEDTA) absorption was significantly higher than that of 54Fe (FeSO4) (P < 0.01). The iron absorption rate from NaFeEDTA was 1.2 times higher than that from FeSO4 in Chinese adult women consuming a typical Chinese diet.


CONCLUSIONS
The higher absorption rate of NaFeEDTA suggested that NaFeEDTA would be a better iron fortificant used in soy sauce for the controlling of iron deficiency anemia in China.
Huo
Jun-Sheng
JS
Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
Yang
Xiao-Guang
XG
Piao
Jian-Hua
JH
Gao
Jun-Quan
JQ
Miao
Hong
H
Yu
Bo
B
Lu
Cheng-Qian
CQ
Chen
Jun-Shi
JS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005260:Female; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005296:Ferrous Compounds / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D045730:Soy Foods
D005290:Ferric Compounds; D005296:Ferrous Compounds; C020748:ferrous sulfate; D004492:Edetic Acid; D007501:Iron; C019179:Fe(III)-EDTA