Determinants of iron status and Hb in the Bangladesh population: the role of groundwater iron

Rahman, Sabuktagin; Ahmed, Tahmeed; Rahman, Ahmed Shafiqur; Alam, Nurul; Ahmed, AM Shamsir; Ireen, Santhia; Chowdhury, Ireen Akhter; Chowdhury, Fatima Parveen; Rahman, S. M. Mustafizur

doi:10.1017/s1368980015003651

Cited by 50 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A recent study has revealed that the higher prevalence of anemia in Bangladesh is not associated with iron deficiency [10]. The nationwide prevalence of anemia (33.1% in children under five years of age and 26% in women) was more than three times higher than that of iron deficiency in children (10.7%) and women (7.1%), suggesting other determining factors for this unexpected scenario [10]. In this context, the role of congenital Hb disorders along with micronutrient (such as dietary iron, vitamin A, folate and Zn) deficiency could explain this phenomenon [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The nationwide prevalence of anemia (33.1% in children under five years of age and 26% in women) was more than three times higher than that of iron deficiency in children (10.7%) and women (7.1%), suggesting other determining factors for this unexpected scenario [10]. In this context, the role of congenital Hb disorders along with micronutrient (such as dietary iron, vitamin A, folate and Zn) deficiency could explain this phenomenon [10]. A recent study has indicated that about 28% of assessed rural women have beta thalassemia or HbE [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Thalassemias in South Asia: clinical lessons learnt from Bangladesh

Hossain

Raheem

Sultana

et al. 2017

Orphanet J Rare Dis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Thalassemias are emerging as a global public health concern. Due to remarkable success in the reduction of childhood mortality by controlling infectious diseases in developing countries, thalassemias are likely to be a major public health concern in the coming decades in South Asia. Despite the fact that Bangladesh lies in the world’s thalassemia belt, the information on different aspects (epidemiology, clinical course, mortality, complications and treatment outcomes) of thalassemias is lacking. In this comprehensive review, the aim is to to depict the epidemiological aspects of thalassemias, mutation profile and current treatment and management practices in the country by sharing the experience of dealing with 1178 cases over 2009–2014 time periods in a specialized thalassemia treatment centre. We have also discussed the preventative strategies of thalassemias from the context of Bangladesh which could be effective for other developing countries.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thalassemias in South Asia: clinical lessons learnt from Bangladesh

Hossain

Raheem

Sultana

et al. 2017

Orphanet J Rare Dis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…High levels of iron in groundwater result in unpleasant esthetic experiences with water, e.g., bad taste, odor, and color. However, recent studies in Bangladesh have revealed that iron in groundwater is a good source of absorbable iron in humans, leading to good iron and hemoglobin status in the population (Merrill 2011;Rahman 2016). Based on these findings, policymakers have endorsed the importance of considering groundwater iron in anemia/micronutrient deficiency control programs (Institute of Public Health Nutrition and United Nation Children's Fund 2016).…”

Section: Background and Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

Can Taste Rating of Groundwater Samples for the Presence of Iron Be A Novel Approach to Groundwater Iron Assessment?

Rahman

Mridha

Lee

et al. 2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Groundwater has been shown to contribute markedly to the daily iron intake of the rural Bangladeshi population and is currently characterized as an under-assessed possible source of dietary iron. Estimation of the levels of iron in groundwater in relation to dietary/nutritional assessments has been called for. However, the ability to do this may be limited due to unavailable equipment or technical, logistical and financial issues in remote areas of low-to middle-income countries. Groundwater with higher levels of iron has distinctive organoleptic properties such as a characteristic metallic/bitterly taste and reddish color. Anecdotal experience suggests that there is an association between a stronger metallic taste of water and its iron content. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional pilot study assessing the relationship of taste perception for iron in groundwater and its actual concentration of iron. Thirteen tube-wells were selected systematically in a rural village of northern Bangladesh. A brief structured interview was conducted with a systematic sampling of people living nearby to collect information on the tube-wells, perception of the taste of water from the wells, and their overall perception of the level of iron in the water. Two observers from the research team tasted a water sample from each well for iron and compared their observations. Iron concentration of the tube-well water was determined quantitatively by a test kit (Hach kit model 18B). The concentration of iron was significantly higher in water taste-rated by both the villagers and observers as "strong" for iron World Nutrition 2018;9(1) 23 than in water taste-rated as having "some" iron. There were significant correlations between the taste-ratings of the two observers and between the observers and villagers. Bland-Altman plotting suggests that external observers are likely to provide valid and reproducible taste-ratings for the presence of iron in the water. A larger study is required to validate tasting as a cheap, simple and novel way to assess iron concentration in groundwater.

show abstract

“…It is worth noting that the prevalence of anaemia was also reported in the BDHS survey from 2011, and results were much higher than those reported in the icddr,b survey of 2012 (for example, 40.0% compared to 26.0% among NPNL women). This may be explained by slight differences in analytical methods (Rahman et al, 2016b). The icddr,b survey used venous blood samples, whereas the BDHS survey used capillary blood samples .…”

Section: Micronutrients Of Public Health Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The icddr,b survey used venous blood samples, whereas the BDHS survey used capillary blood samples . Interestingly, the prevalence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia was found to be relatively low, despite the high prevalence of inadequate dietary iron intakes and the relatively high prevalence of anaemia (Rahman et al, 2016b). This has been attributed to the presence of highly bioavailable iron in groundwater in many regions of Bangladesh (Merrill et al, 2012;Rahman et al, 2016b).…”

Section: Micronutrients Of Public Health Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of fish to nutrition and food security: informing the evidence base for agricultural policy in Bangladesh

Bogard¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundMalnutrition and poor quality diets are the leading drivers of the global burden of disease, affecting one in three people globally. Pregnant and lactating women, and infants of complementary feeding age are particularly vulnerable. The fisheries sector is well-placed to contribute to improving malnutrition and food insecurity, particularly in the context of Bangladesh, yet is often overlooked. AimsThe broad aim of this research is to understand how fish contributes to nutrition and food security, how this is changing according to broader trends in aquatic food systems, and how fisheries might be better utilised to reduce malnutrition. The focus is on nutrients known to be significant causes of malnutrition in Bangladesh: iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin A and vitamin B12. This broad aim is addressed through five specific research questions (RQs): RQ1: What is the nutritional value of commonly consumed fish in Bangladesh?RQ2: How could local nutrient-rich foods including fish, be utilised to improve nutritional quality of diets? RQ3: What does fish currently contribute to diets in terms of nutrient intakes? RQ4: How has the transition in aquatic food systems (declining availability of species from capture fisheries, and rapid growth in aquaculture) impacted nutrient intakes? RQ5: How could nutritional quality of fish production systems be measured and used in decision making? MethodsThis research draws on a variety of different methods to address individual RQs. The nutritional value of fish (RQ1) was determined by primary analysis of 55 fish species for composition of protein, fat and selected minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids using standard analytical methods. Raw, edible parts of individual samples were homogenised then analysed in duplicate. The use of fish to improve diets among vulnerable groups (RQ2) was informed by a review of local food-based approaches including food processing methods, and nutrient composition of local ingredients, followed by laboratory based trial ii production of recipes. The role of fish in current diets (RQ3) was informed through secondary analysis of intra-household food consumption data (based on 24-hour recall) of a two-stage stratified nationally representative survey of rural Bangladesh (n=5,503 households,24,198 individuals). Linear regression was used to estimate mean fish consumption, controlling for age, sex, wealth group and geographic region (adjusted by sampling weights). The impact of a shift in fish consumption away from non-farmed towards farmed fish, on nutritional quality of diets (RQ4) Main findingsThe nutrient composition of fish varies widely across species, particularly for micronutrients.Iron content ranged from 0.34-19 mg/100 g raw, edible parts; zinc from 0.6-4.7 mg/100 g; calcium from 8.6-1900 mg/100 g; vitamin A from 0-2503 µg RAE/100 g; and vitamin B12 from 0.50-14 µg/100 g. Non-farmed fish contribute between 6-35% of daily recommended nutrient intakes for iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin A and vitamin B12, more than farmed fis...

show abstract

Determinants of iron status and Hb in the Bangladesh population: the role of groundwater iron

Cited by 50 publications

References 31 publications

Thalassemias in South Asia: clinical lessons learnt from Bangladesh

Thalassemias in South Asia: clinical lessons learnt from Bangladesh

Can Taste Rating of Groundwater Samples for the Presence of Iron Be A Novel Approach to Groundwater Iron Assessment?

The contribution of fish to nutrition and food security: informing the evidence base for agricultural policy in Bangladesh

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About