The Lucky Iron Fish: a simple solution for iron deficiency

Abstract

Iron deficiency anemia, found in both the developed and developing world, is the most common cause of anemia. Despite efforts over the last 25 years to reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia, the number of years lived with disability as a result of this condition has increased. Iron deficiency anemia presents with a range of signs and symptoms, from fatigue and an inability to concentrate at work or at school to permanent stunting and impairment of cognitive development to serious complications in pregnancy and childbirth. In addition to the negative health impacts, iron deficiency is estimated to result in a loss of US $70 billion in the global economy each year. Technically, treating iron deficiency anemia should be simple; diversifying the diet or supplementing the diet with iron will alleviate the condition. However, for many people, access to varied diets is neither affordable nor possible, and supplements are expensive, not consistently available, and often culturally unacceptable. In addition, supplementation programs rely mostly on government programs for support and are not sustainable. The Lucky Iron Fish is a simple solution to this complex problem. Based on the age-old concept that food cooked in an iron pot will absorb iron leached from the pot, the iron fish is an ingot designed to deliver a standard amount of iron that can be absorbed by the body when it is used as directed during the cooking process. Clinical tests have shown that daily use of the Lucky Iron Fish can restore circulating and stored levels of iron and reduces the prevalence of anemia by ;43%.Download or subscribe to the Blood Advances Talk podcast at https://soundcloud. com/blooddvances.

Iron-containing cookware for the reduction of iron deficiency anemia among children and females of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

“…Proposed strategies for combating ID and IDA include iron supplementation, artificial iron fortification, biofortification, dietary modification, nutrition education and antiparasitic treatment. Iron supplementation is the most widely implemented approach; however, it has failed as a sole intervention due to challenges regarding cost, distribution, acceptability, political will and sustainability [4, 7, 8]. In addition, iron supplementation can produce undesirable side effects such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and constipation [2].…”

“…Dietary modification, which can help alleviate other nutritional deficiencies simultaneously, has never been considered a stand-alone approach due to the higher anticipated costs and limited availability [2, 4, 10]. Indeed, heme iron-rich foods, such as meat, and fruits containing ascorbic acid (which enhances iron absorption) are not always accessible or affordable to many families in LMICs, while cereals, coffee and tea containing phytates, polyphenols and tannins (which all inhibit iron absorption) are often dietary staples [2, 8]. Treatment of malaria, intestinal helminthiasis and/or schistosomiasis is also an effective strategy for reducing IDA [4].…”

“…However, further research was required to assess the quantity and bioavailability of iron leached from the ingot. Multiple improvements were later made to the fish-shaped ingot, which led Armstrong et al to found a for-profit social enterprise in 2012, Lucky Iron Fish Inc., to bring the iron ingot to scale in LMICs [8, 20].…”

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

“…Most importantly, LIF are reusable, and last for up to 5 years. 5 The efficacy of the LIF has already been shown to improve iron status, at least short-term, among those consuming traditional Cambodian diets. In these randomized controlled trials, blood iron levels were higher among those preparing meals with a LIF compared to controls, although it is unclear if these improvements were sustainable over time.…”

Impact of a collaborative childhood anaemia intervention programme in Peru

“…Researchers have also been evaluating the use of cooking tools to increase iron in the diet for the last 50 years. Use of either an iron pot or an iron ingot while cooking has been shown to increase haemoglobin in children and reproductive-age women with minimal side effects and high rates of compliance [10][11][12].…”