title: The effect of daily consumption of the small fish Amblypharyngodon mola or added vitamin A on iron status: a randomised controlled trial among Bangladeshi children with marginal vitamin A status.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mola (Amblypharyngodon mola) is a nutrient-rich, small fish found in ponds and rice fields in Bangladesh. The aim of the present intervention was to assess the effect of mola consumption on iron status in children with marginal vitamin A status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bangladeshi children (n=196), aged 3-7 years, with marginal vitamin A status were randomly allocated to one of three intervention groups served different fish curries: mola curry (experimental group); rui (Labeo rohita) curry with added retinyl palmitate (positive control group); or rui curry (negative control group). The intervention meals were served 6 days/week for 9 weeks. The experimental and positive control meals were designed to contain similar amounts of retinol activity equivalents per portion. The mola curry contained four times more iron compared to the rui curries due to different iron content in the two fish species. Haemoglobin, ferritin, serum transferrin receptor and Creactive protein were measured at screening and endpoint.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the experimental group receiving mola, serum transferrin receptor concentration declined 0.73 mg/L (95% CI 0.17, 1.28, p=0.01) compared to the positive control group, while there were no differences between groups in ferritin or haemoglobin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consumption of mola instead of rui has potentially an effect on iron status in children with marginal vitamin A status, seen as a decrease in serum transferrin receptor concentration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anna B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lise Kh
authors.initials: LKh
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Faurholt-Jepsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Nanna
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roos
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Friis
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kongsbak
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Mohammed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wahed
authors.affiliation: WorldFish, Banani, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Email: s.thilsted@cgiar.org.
authors.forename: Shakuntala Haraksingh
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Thilsted
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000818:Animals; D001459:Bangladesh; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003530:Cyprinidae; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D005502:Food; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D019266:Iron, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000097:blood; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D019266:Iron, Dietary; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D014801:Vitamin A; D005293:Ferritins