title: Calcium-enriched goats' milk aids recovery of iron status better than calcium-enriched cows' milk, in rats with nutritional ferropenic anaemia.
abstract: Ca-Fe interactions are known, but no studies are available about the effects of Ca-enriched goat or cow milk on Fe status in nutritional ferropenic anaemia (NFA). To examine this matter, control and Fe-deficient rats were fed for 14 d with goat or cow milk diets containing either normal or high Ca content (5000 or 10,000 mg/kg diet), and different indices and parameters related to iron status were measured. The apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) and the Fe retention/intake (R/I) ratio were higher in control and anaemic rats fed goat milk diet (G diet), despite high-Ca content. Ca enrichment decreased Fe stores in liver and sternum in anaemic rats fed cow milk diet (C diet), however G diet did not modify Fe content in the organs studied in control and anaemic rats. In anaemic rats, Ca-supplementation decreased haematocrit, but platelets and serum Fe were not affected, however, in control rats platelets increased except for Ca-enriched G diet, this fact reveals that Ca-Fe interaction is minimized with G diet. Serum ferritin was always higher in rats fed G vs. C diet, both in control and anaemic rats fed either normal or Ca-enriched diets. Ca-supplementation decreased ferritin levels in control and anaemic rats fed C diet and also, though to a lesser extent, in those given the G diet. This indicates that with this G diet there is a better recovery of body Fe stores in anaemic rats, despite Ca-supplementation. In this study it is noteworthy that despite high Ca content, a goat milk diet resulted in minimal Ca-Fe interactions and did not adversely affect Fe status in rats with NFA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nestares
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barrionuevo
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Díaz-Castro
authors.forename: Inmaculada
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: López-Aliaga
authors.forename: Ma José M
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Alférez
authors.forename: Margarita S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Campos
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000628:therapy*; D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006041:Goats; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium