Can dietary treatment of non-anemic iron deficiency improve iron status?

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of, first, a dietary regimen involvi ng increased consumption of iron-rich foods and enhancers of iron absorptio n and decreased consumption of inhibitors of iron absorption and, second, a low dose iron chelate iron supplement, for increasing iron stores in young adult New Zealand women with mild iron deficiency (MID). Methods: The study was a 16 week randomized placebo-controlled intervention . Seventy-five women aged 18 to 40 years with MID (serum ferritin <20 <mu>g /L and hemoglobin greater than or equal to 120 g/L) were assigned to one of three groups: Placebo, Supplement (50 mg/iron/day as amino acid chelate) o r Diet. Participants in the Diet Group were given individual dietary counse ling to increase the intake and bioavailability of dietary iron. Dietary ch anges were monitored by a previously validated computer-administered iron f ood frequency questionnaire. Results: Diet Group members significantly increased their intake of flesh f oods, heme iron, vitamin C and foods cooked using cast-iron cookware and si gnificantly decreased their phytate and calcium intakes. Serum ferritin inc reased in the Supplement and Diet Groups by 59% (p=0.001) and 26% (p=0.068) , respectively, in comparison to the Placebo Group. The serum transferrin r eceptor:serum ferritin ratio decreased by 51% in the Supplement Group (p=0. 0001), and there was a non-significant decrease of 22% (p=0.1232) in the Di et Group. Conclusions: This study is the first, to our knowledge, to demonstrate that an intensive dietary program has the potential to improve the iron status of women with iron deficiency.