title: The effect of iron-vitamin C co-supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress in iron-deficient female youth.
abstract: There is no study that assessed the effect of co-supplementation of iron and vitamin C on biomarkers of oxidative stress in non-anemic iron-deficient females. We investigated the effects of iron vs. iron + vitamin C co-supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress in iron-deficient girls. In a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial, performed among 60 non-anemic iron-deficient girls, participants were randomly assigned to receive either 50 mg/day elemental iron supplements or 50 mg/day elemental iron + 500 mg/day ascorbic acid for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline, weeks 6 and 12 for assessment of biomarkers of oxidative stress. Compared with the baseline levels, both iron and iron + vitamin C supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (P time < 0.001) and remarkable elevation in serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC; P time < 0.001) and vitamin C levels (P time = 0.001); however, comparing the two groups we failed to find an additional effect of iron + vitamin C supplementation to that of iron alone on serum TAC and MDA levels (P group was not statistically significant). Iron + vitamin C supplementation influenced serum vitamin C levels much more than that by iron alone (P group < 0.01). We also found a significant interaction term between time and group about serum vitamin C levels while this interaction was not significant about serum TAC and MDA levels. In conclusion, we found that iron supplementation with/without vitamin C improve biomarkers of oxidative stress among non-anemic iron-deficient females and may strengthen the antioxidant defense system by decreasing reactive oxygen species. Co-supplementation of iron + vitamin C has no further effect on oxidative stress compared with iron alone.
authors.affiliation: National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Khoshfetrat
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mohammadi
authors.forename: Sima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mortazavi
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rashidi
authors.forename: Tirang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Neyestani
authors.forename: Naser
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kalantari
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Esmaillzadeh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018384:Oxidative Stress
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007501:Iron; D001205:Ascorbic Acid