Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T15:58:20.167Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The determinants of iron status in early pregnancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Siân Robinson ,
Keith Godfrey ,
Jonathan Denne  and
Vanessa Cox
Siân Robinson*
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Environmental Epidemiology Unit, (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
Keith Godfrey
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Environmental Epidemiology Unit, (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
Jonathan Denne
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Environmental Epidemiology Unit, (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
Vanessa Cox
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Environmental Epidemiology Unit, (University of Southampton), Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
*
*Corresponding author:Dr Siân Robinson, fax +44 (0)1703 704021, email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In pregnancy, the additional demands for Fe are thought to be met principally through increased maternal dietary Fe absorption and by mobilization of maternal Fe stores. In a general population sample of 576 women we examined the maternal and dietary characteristics which influenced Fe stores (assessed by serum ferritin concentration) in early pregnancy. The effects of these characteristics on two measures of functional Fe status (mean cell volume and haemoglobin concentration) were also considered. Serum ferritin concentrations were lower in multiparous women (P < 0.0001) and in those with a lower BMI (P = 0.01), and rose with increasing alcohol intake (P < 0.0001). Ferritin concentrations fell with increasing Ca intake (P < 0.0001); the proportion of women with serum ferritin values ≤ 12 μg/l rose from 14% of the women in the lowest quarter of Ca intake to 29% of the women in the highest quarter. Mean cell volume and haemoglobin concentration were not related to Ca intake in early pregnancy. Although Ca added to test-meals reduces Fe absorption, long-term Ca supplementation has not been shown to lower plasma ferritin concentration, suggesting that high habitual Ca intakes would be unlikely to influence Fe status in non-pregnant individuals. Our findings show that in early pregnancy there is an association between high dietary Ca intake and lower Fe stores. This effect of Ca on one aspect of Fe status may result from its influence on Fe bioavailability.

Keywords

IronFerritinPregnancy
Type
Human and Clinical Nutrition
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 79 , Issue 3 , March 1998 , pp. 249 - 255
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1998

References

Barrett, JFR, Whittaker, PG, Williams, JG & Lind, T (1994) Absorption of non-haem iron from food during normal pregnancy. British Medical Journal 309, 79–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
British Nutrition Foundation (1995) Iron. Nutritional and Physiological Significance. London: Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Cook, JD, Reddy, MB & Hurrell, RF (1995) The effect of red and white wines on nonheme-iron absorption in humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 61, 800–804.Google Scholar
Cooper, MJ & Zlotkin, SH (1996) Day-to-day variation of transferrin receptor and ferritin in healthy men and women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 64, 738–742.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1991) Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom. Report on Health and Social Subjects no. 41. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Fogelholm, M, Alopaeus, K, Silvennoinen, T & Teirila, J (1993) Factors affecting iron status in non-pregnant women from urban South Finland. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 47, 567–574.Google ScholarPubMed
Fricker, J, Le Moel, G & Apfelbaum, M (1990) Obesity and iron status in menstruating women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 52, 863–866.Google Scholar
Gleerup, A, Rossander-Hulthén, L, Gramatkovski, E & Hallberg, L (1995) Iron absorption from the whole diet: comparison of the effect of two different distributions of daily calcium intake. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 61, 97–104.Google Scholar
Gregory, J, Foster, K, Tyler, H & Wiseman, M (1990) The Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Hallberg, L, Rossander-Hulthén, L, Brune, M & Gleerup, A (1992) Calcium and iron absorption: mechanism of action and nutritional importance. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 46, 317–327.Google Scholar
Holland, B, Unwin, ID & Buss, DH (1988) Cereals and Cereal Products. The Third Supplement to McCance & Widdowson's The Composition of Foods. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.Google Scholar
Holland, B, Unwin, ID & Buss, DH (1989). Milk Products and Eggs. The Fourth Supplement to McCance & Widdowson's The Composition of Foods. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.Google Scholar
Holland, B, Unwin, ID & Buss, DH (1991 a) Vegetables, Herbs and Spices. The Fifth Supplement to McCance & Widdowson's The Composition of Foods. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holland, B, Welch, AA, Unwin, ID, Buss, DH, Paul, AA & Southgate, DAT (1991 b) McCance & Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, 5th ed. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.Google Scholar
Howe, DT, Wheeler, T & Osmond, C (1995) The influence of maternal haemoglobin and ferritin on mid-pregnancy placental volume. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 102, 213–219.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hulthén, L, Gramatkovski, E, Gleerup, A & Hallberg, L (1995) Iron absorption from the whole diet. Relation to meal composition, iron requirements and iron stores. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 49, 794–808.Google Scholar
McKeigue, P (1995) Trans fatty acids and coronary heart disease: weighing the evidence against hardened fat. Lancet 345, 269–270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Micozzi, MS, Albanes, D & Stevens, RG (1989) Relation of body size and composition to clinical biochemical and hematologic indices in US men and women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50, 1276–1281.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milman, N, Kirchhoff, M & Jorgensen, T (1992) Iron status markers, serum ferritin and hemoglobin in 1359 Danish women in relation to menstruation, hormonal contraception, parity and postmenopausal hormone treatment. Annals of Hematology 65, 96–102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1980) Classification of Occupations. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Robinson, S, Godfrey, K, Osmond, C, Cox, V & Barker, D (1996) Evaluation of a food frequency questionnaire used to assess nutrient intakes in pregnant women. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50, 302–308.Google ScholarPubMed
Sokoll, LJ & Dawson-Hughes, B (1992) Calcium supplementation and plasma ferritin concentrations in premeno-pausal women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 56, 1045–1048.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soustre, Y, Dop, MC, Galan, P & Hercberg, S (1986) Dietary determinants of the iron status in menstruating women. International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research 56, 281–286.Google ScholarPubMed
Strain, JJ & Thompson, KA (1991) Elevated estimates of iron status and calculated body iron stores in regular alcohol drinkers in the Northern Ireland population. Trace Elements in Medicine 8, 65–69.Google Scholar
Strain, JJ, Thompson, KA, Barker, ME & McKenna, PG (1990) The effect of smoking on estimates of iron status and calculated body iron stores. Trace Elements in Medicine 7, 25–27.Google Scholar
Taylor, DJ, Mallen, C, McDougall, N & Lind, T (1982) Effect of iron supplementation on serum ferritin levels during and after pregnancy. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 89, 1011–1017.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, A, Nicolaas, G, Foster, K, Browne, F & Carey, S (1993) Health Survey for England 1991. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Whittaker, PG & Lind, T (1993) The intravascular mass of albumin during human pregnancy: a serial study in normal and diabetic women. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 100, 587–592.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yan, L, Prentice, A, Dibba, B, Jarjou, LMA, Stirling, DM & Fairweather-Tait, S (1996) The effect of long-term calcium supplementation on indices of iron, zinc and magnesium status in lactating Gambian women. British Journal of Nutrition 76, 821–831.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed