Testing the efficacy of the Lucky Iron Fish® in reversing iron deficiency anemia in rural, impoverished regions of Guatemala

Rodríguez-Vivaldi, Ana María; Beerman, Kathy A.

doi:10.29392/joghr.2.e2018014

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

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“…8 Similarly, a 52-week longitudinal study that assessed the efficacy of the LIF among those living in rural Guatemala reported improved hemoglobin and hematocrit values in nearly 80% of subjects. 9 Both studies concluded that regular use of LIF in food preparation substantially contributes to overall daily iron requirements and subsequent improvement in iron status.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can providing daily iron-fortified lunches to school-going children living in an impoverished Guatemalan community improve iron status?

Beerman

Massey

McGeehan

et al. 2023

Journal of Global Health Reports

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Background Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) remains one of the most common diet-related micronutrient deficiency disorders in the world. Although iron supplementation can effectively improve iron status, it is often a short-term solution to this endemic, chronic health problem. Lucky Iron Fish® (LIF) offers a novel, long-term approach to treat IDA that can be easily utilized in regions of the world where IDA is most prevalent. While the beneficial use of LIF for household preparation of meals has been demonstrated, its use in quantity food production has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to develop methodology for large-scale iron fortification of cooking water and to assess changes in hemoglobin and hematocrit values in school-going children following 8 months of receiving iron-fortified school lunches prepared with LIF. Methods Laboratory studies were conducted to develop the protocol to prepare iron fortification of cooking water using LIF. Study participants were school-going children from economically, disadvantaged families attending private schools in Jocotenango, Guatemala. Baseline measures (weight, height, hemoglobin, and hematocrit) were taken at the start and completion of the academic calendar. The sample was divided into quintiles based on pre-hemoglobin and hematocrit values where quintile 1 had the lowest baseline hemoglobin and hematocrit values and quintile 5 had the highest baseline hemoglobin and hematocrit values. Paired t-tests were used to determine if there were overall significant pre- and post-differences in iron status values by quintile groupings. Results A total of 286 (77%) of children between the ages of 5 – 16 (y) completed the study. Post- hemoglobin values were significantly higher than pre-hemoglobin values for those in quintile 1, whereas post-hematocrit values significantly increased for quintiles 1 and 2. Conclusions Study results suggest that LIF can be used to prepare large quantities of food and that regular consumption of iron-fortified school lunches can improve iron status in children with marginal status. Equally important is the finding that iron-fortified meals do not negatively impact those with healthy iron values.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can providing daily iron-fortified lunches to school-going children living in an impoverished Guatemalan community improve iron status?

Beerman

Massey

McGeehan

et al. 2023

Journal of Global Health Reports

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Materials for sustainable metallic iron-based water filters: a review

Xiao,

Hu,

Gwenzi

et al. 2024

Environ Chem Lett

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Water pollution is calling for a sustainable remediation method such as the use of metallic iron (Fe0) to reduce and filter some pollutants, yet the reactivity and hydraulic conductivity of iron filters decline over time under field conditions. Here we review iron filters with focus on metallic corrosion in porous media, flaws in designing iron filters, next-generation filters and perspectives such as safe drinking water supply, iron for anaemia control and coping with a reactive material. We argue that assumptions sustaining the design of current Fe0 filters are not valid because proposed solutions address the issues of declining iron reactivity and hydraulic conductivity separately. Alternatively, a recent approach suggest that each individual Fe0 atom corroding within a filter contributes to both reactivity and permeability loss. This approach applies well to alternative iron materials such as bimetallics, composites, hybrid aggregates, e.g. Fe0/sand, and nano-Fe0. Characterizing the intrinsic reactivity of individual Fe0 materials is a prerequisite to designing sustainable filters. Indeed, Fe0 ratio, Fe0 type, Fe0 shape, initial porosity, e.g. pore size and pore size distribution, and nature and size of admixing aggregates, e.g. pumice, pyrite and sand, are interrelated parameters which all influence the generation and accumulation of iron corrosion products. Fe0 should be characterized in long-term experiments, e.g. 12 months or longer, for Fe dissolution, H2 generation and removal of contaminants in three media, i.e., tap water, spring water and saline water, to allow reactivity comparison and designing field-scale filters.

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Testing the efficacy of the Lucky Iron Fish® in reversing iron deficiency anemia in rural, impoverished regions of Guatemala

Cited by 2 publications

References 8 publications

Can providing daily iron-fortified lunches to school-going children living in an impoverished Guatemalan community improve iron status?

Can providing daily iron-fortified lunches to school-going children living in an impoverished Guatemalan community improve iron status?

Materials for sustainable metallic iron-based water filters: a review

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