title: Horse meat consumption affects iron status, lipid profile and fatty acid composition of red blood cells in healthy volunteers.
abstract: This study investigated the effect of moderate consumption of horse meat on iron status, lipid profile and fatty acid composition of red blood cells in healthy male volunteers. Fifty-two subjects were randomly assigned to two groups of 26 subjects each: a test group consuming two portions of 175 g/week of horse meat, and a control group that abstained from eating horse meat during the 90 days trial. Before and after 90 days, blood samples were collected for analysis. Horse meat consumption significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced serum levels of total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( - 6.2% and - 9.1%, respectively) and transferrin ( - 4.6%). Total n - 3, long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids n - 3 and docosahexeanoic acid content in erythrocytes increased (p ≤ 0.05) by about 7.8%, 8% and 11%, respectively. In conclusion, the regular consumption of horse meat may contribute to the dietary intake of n - 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and may improve lipid profile and iron status in healthy subjects.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze per gli Alimenti, la Nutrizione e l'Ambiente, Sezione Nutrizione, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Del Bó
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simonetti
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gardana
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riso
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucchini
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ciappellano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D004032:Diet; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood*; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012016:Reference Values; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D014168:Transferrin; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D007501:Iron