Weekly supplementation with iron and vitamin A during pregnancy increases hemoglobin concentration but decreases serum ferritin concentration in Indonesian pregnant women
S. Muslimatun et al., Weekly supplementation with iron and vitamin A during pregnancy increases hemoglobin concentration but decreases serum ferritin concentration in Indonesian pregnant women, J NUTR, 131(1), 2001, pp. 85-90
We investigated whether weekly iron supplementation was as effective as the
national daily iron supplementation program in Indonesia in improving iron
status at near term in pregnancy. In addition, we examined whether weekly
vitamin A and iron supplementation was more efficacious than weekly supplem
entation with iron alone. One group of pregnant women (n = 122) was supplem
ented weekly with iron (120 mg Fe as FeSO4) and folic acid (500 mug); anoth
er group (n = 121) received the same amount of iron and folic acid plus vit
amin A [4800 retinol equivalents (RE)]. A third ("daily") group (n = 123),
participating in the national iron plus folic acid supplementation program,
was also recruited. Data on subjects with complete biochemical data are re
ported (n = 190). At near term, hemoglobin concentrations increased, wherea
s serum ferritin concentrations decreased significantly in the weekly vitam
in A and iron group, suggesting that vitamin A improved utilization of iron
for hematopoiesis. Iron status in the weekly iron group was not different
from that of the "daily" group. However, iron status decreased with daily s
upplementation if <50 iron tablets were ingested. Serum transferrin recepto
r concentrations increased in all groups (P < 0.01). Serum retinol concentr
ations were maintained in the weekly vitamin A and iron group, but decrease
d in the other two groups (P < 0.01). Thus, delivery of iron supplements on
a weekly basis can be as effective as on a daily basis if compliance can b
e ensured. Addition of vitamin A to the supplement improved hemoglobin conc
entration.