title: Iron status and dietary iron intake of female blood donors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim was to assess iron status and dietary iron intake in a sample of premenopausal female regular and new blood donors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Premenopausal women blood donors were invited to participate. Blood samples were analyzed for serum ferritin and hemoglobin. An iron checklist assessed dietary iron intake. Donors were classified as regular donors or new donors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-one new donors (mean [SD] age, 28.6 [6.0] years; body mass index [BMI], 25.6 [4.5] kg/m(2) ) and 172 regular donors (mean age, 29.4 [5.5] years; BMI, 24.7 [3.8] kg/m(2) ) participated. Fifty percent of regular donors and 24% of new donors had depleted iron stores (serum ferritin <15 μg/L; difference p = 0.036). Dietary iron intake was higher in regular donors (mean [SE], 12.6 [0.7] mg/day) compared to new donors (9.9 [0.4] mg/day; p = 0.006). Eighty-five percent of regular donors and 79% of new donors met the estimated average requirement for iron.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the fact that most of these donors had an adequate dietary iron intake, more than half of the blood donors had depleted iron stores. Increasing dietary iron intake through supplements and/or dietary means is expected to be necessary to maintain adequate iron status in this group.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia; Australian Red Cross Blood Service, Operating Division of the Australian Red Cross Society, Alexandria, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Alison O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Capper
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Irving
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McNaughton
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Riddell
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Caryl A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Nowson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D019266:Iron, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019266:Iron, Dietary; D007501:Iron