Back Background groundAccording to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most common nutrient-related cause of anemia is a lack of dietary iron (iron deficiency anemia, IDA). In regions of the world where populations are at greatest risk for IDA, barriers make screening and subsequent treatment challenging. Thus, IDA remains one of the most common, yet treatable, nutrition-related health problems in developing countries. A new approach to IDA remediation, called Lucky Iron Fish ® (LIF) (Lucky Iron Fish, Guelph, Canada), overcomes many of these challenges. When placed into a pot of boiling, acidified water for 10 minutes, the LIF releases iron into the cooking water. Subsequently, the food absorbs the iron from the iron-enriched water, increasing the overall iron content of the meal. The purpose of this 52-week longitudinal study, conducted in rural, underserved regions of Guatemala, was to determine whether or not iron status improved after 12 months of using a LIF for meal preparation. Methods Methods

No abstract

Objectives To determine if daily iron-fortified school lunches improve iron status in school-going children living in an impoverished region of Guatemala. Methods Methodology using Lucky Iron Fish to prepare large quantities of iron-fortified food was developed. School cooks were trained how to use Lucky Iron Fish to prepare 200–300 school lunches/day. Baseline hemoglobin and hematocrit measures were taken at the study onset and again upon completion of the school year. Throughout the school year (9-mo), children received a daily iron-fortified school lunch. Pre- and post-measures (hemoglobin, hematocrit, weight, and height) were taken (n = 370; ages 5 to 17 y). Results Overall paired t-tests, which were used to compare pre- and post measures, increased significantly (P < 0.05). Paired t-test comparisons by quartiles, adjusted for regression to the mean, indicated that those with the lowest hemoglobin and hematocrit values at baseline had the greatest improvement (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, subjects in the upper quartiles at baseline had minimal change or no change at all, suggesting that iron-fortification of food was not harmful to those with healthy iron status. Conclusions Study results indicate that providing daily iron-fortified school lunch can effectively improve iron status in students living in impoverished regions. Funding Sources Stawberry Jam, ngo Lucky Iron Fish Enterprise donated 25 LIF for this study.

No abstract

Back Background ground According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most common nutrient-related cause of anemia is a lack of dietary iron (iron deficiency anemia, IDA). In regions of the world where populations are at greatest risk for IDA, barriers make screening and subsequent treatment challenging. Thus, IDA remains one of the most common, yet treatable, nutrition-related health problems in developing countries. A new approach to IDA remediation, called Lucky Iron Fish ® (LIF) (Lucky Iron Fish, Guelph, Canada), overcomes many of these challenges. When placed into a pot of boiling, acidified water for 10 minutes, the LIF releases iron into the cooking water. Subsequently, the food absorbs the iron from the iron-enriched water, increasing the overall iron content of the meal. The purpose of this 52-week longitudinal study, conducted in rural, underserved regions of Guatemala, was to determine whether or not iron status improved after 12 months of using a LIF for meal preparation.