Using iron cooking pots in developing countries could provide an innovative strategy to prevent and treat iron deficiency anemia.

Food fortification is advocated to tackle iron deficiency in anemic populations. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of iron-fortified rice (Ultrarice(®)) weekly on hemoglobin and anemia levels compared with standard rice (control). This cluster-randomized study deals with infants (10-23 months) from two public child day care centers in Brazil, n = 216, in an 18 week intervention. The intervention group received individual portions of fortified rice (50 g) provided 56.4 mg elemental/Fe. For intervention center: baseline mean hemoglobin was 11.44 ± 1.07 g/dl, and after intervention 11.67 ± 0.96 g/dl, p < 0.029; for control: baseline mean hemoglobin value was 11.35 ± 4.01 g/dl, and after intervention 11.36 ± 2.10 g/dl, p = 0.986. Anemia prevalence for intervention center was 31.25% at baseline, and 18.75% at end of study, p = 0.045; for control 43.50% were anemic at baseline, and 37.1% at the end of study, p = 0.22. Number Needed to Treat was 7. Iron-fortified rice was effective in increasing hemoglobin levels and reducing anemia in infants.

Background. In developing countries there is high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia, which reduces cognitive performance, work performance, and endurance; it also causes learning difficulties and negative impact on development for infant population. Methods. The study concerns a case-control study; data was collected from an appropriate sample consisting of schoolchildren aged 8 years. The sample was divided into two subgroups: those with deficient initial reading skills (DIRS) (case) and those without (control). Blood samples were taken to analyze hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels. These results were then used to compare the two groups with Student's t-test. Association between DIRS and anemia was analyzed using odds ratio (OR). Results. Hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels of schoolchildren with DIRS were statistically lower when compared to those without, hemoglobin p = 0.02 and serum ferritin p = 0.04. DIRS was statistically associated with a risk of anemia with a weighted OR of 1.62. Conclusions. In this study, schoolchildren with DIRS had lower hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels when compared to those without.

Weekly and daily iron supplementation were effective in increasing hemoglobin levels and reducing anemia in infants.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of NutriSUS micronutrient fortification, in infants aged 12-36 months, for the prophylaxis and treatment of iron deficiency anemia. In this cluster-randomized clinical trial study, we evaluated infants aged 12-36 months. Length of intervention was 12 weeks. Children were cluster randomized to either NutriSUS micronutrient fortification (Group A) or control (Group B). Primary outcome variables were change in hemoglobin concentration and anemia prevalence. Two biochemical evaluations were performed to determine hemoglobin concentrations: before and after intervention. This study was conducted in eight child-care centers located within the urban perimeter of the municipality of Sobral, Ceará, in the northeast of Brazil. For Group A, baseline mean hemoglobin concentration was 11.4 ± 1.01 g/dL; after intervention it was 11.9 ± 0.90 g/dL (p = .006); 15 of 20 participants who were anemic at baseline had normal Hb levels after intervention. Number needed to treat = 2. In group B, mean baseline hemoglobin was 11.9 ± 0.89 g/dL; after intervention it was 12.2 ± 0.92 g/dL (p = .58); 4 of 5 participants who were anemic at baseline remained anemic after intervention. In our study, NutriSUS micronutrient fortification provided a beneficial effect on Hb values, reducing the prevalence of anemia. However, further studies are necessary to confirm the effectiveness of this intervention in populations on a larger scale.