Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T17:11:54.208Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Factors affecting the absorption of iron from cereals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

M. Gillooly
Affiliation:
Joint University/South African MRC Iron and Red Cell Metabolism Unit, Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Medical School, York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
T. H. Bothwell
Affiliation:
Joint University/South African MRC Iron and Red Cell Metabolism Unit, Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Medical School, York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
R. W. Charlton
Affiliation:
Joint University/South African MRC Iron and Red Cell Metabolism Unit, Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Medical School, York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
J. D. Torrance
Affiliation:
Joint University/South African MRC Iron and Red Cell Metabolism Unit, Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Medical School, York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
W. R. Bezwoda
Affiliation:
Joint University/South African MRC Iron and Red Cell Metabolism Unit, Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Medical School, York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
A. P. MacPhail
Affiliation:
Joint University/South African MRC Iron and Red Cell Metabolism Unit, Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Medical School, York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
D. P. Derman
Affiliation:
Joint University/South African MRC Iron and Red Cell Metabolism Unit, Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Medical School, York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
L. Novelli
Affiliation:
National Food Research Institute, Council for Scientific Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
P. Morrall
Affiliation:
National Food Research Institute, Council for Scientific Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
F. Mayet
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa
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.

1. Non-haem-iron absorption from a variety of cereal and fibre meals was measured in parous Indian women, using the erythrocyte utilization of radioactive Fe method.

2. The present study was undertaken to establish whether alteration of the phytate and polyphenol contents of sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) affected Fe absorption from sorghum meals, and to assess the influence of fibre on Fe absorption.

3. Removing the outer layers of sorghum grain by pearling reduced the polyphenol and phytate contents by 96 and 92% respectively. This treatment significantly increased the geometric mean Fe absorption from 0.017 to 0.035 (t 3.9, p < 0.005).

4. The geometric mean Fe absorption from a sorghum cultivar that lacked polyphenols (albino sorghum) was 0.043, which was significantly greater than the 0.019 absorbed from bird-proof sorghum, a cultivar with a high polyphenol content (t 2.83, p < 0.05).

5. Fe was less well absorbed from the phytate-rich pearlings of the albino sorghum than from the pearled albino sorghum (0.015 v. 0.035 (t 8.4, P < 0.0005)). Addition of sodium phytate to a highly Fe-bioavailable broccoli (Brassica oleracea) meal reduced Fe absorption from 0.185 to 0.037.

6. The geometric mean Fe absorption from malted sorghum porridge was 0.024 when 9.5 mg ascorbic acid were added and 0.094 when the ascorbic acid was increased to 50 mg (t 3.33, P < 0.005). This enhancing effect of 50 mg ascorbic acid was significantly depressed to 0.04 by tea (t 38.1, P < 0.0005).

7. Wheat bran significantly decreased the geometric mean Fe absorption from white flour from 0.116 to 0.043 (t 7.2, P < 0.0005).

8. Some of the constituents of the dietary fibre complex, such as apple pectin, guar gum, gum tragacanth and microcrystalline cellulose did not inhibit Fe absorption. On the other hand, hemicellulose and lignin decreased absorption. The geometric mean absorption of Fe given with hemicellulose was 0.079 v. 0.269 with microcrystalline cellulose (t 2.95, P < 0.05). Addition of cocoa, which contains approximately 280 g lignin/kg, reduced the geometric mean Fe absorption from milk from 0.075 to 0.035 (t 2.7, P < 0.05).

Type
Papers of direct relevance to Clinical and Human Nutrition
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1984

References

Apte, S. V. &, Iyengar, L. (1970). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 23, 7377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Björn-Rasmussen, E. (1974). Nutrition Metabolism 16, 101110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bothwell, T. H., Charlton, R. W., Cook, J. D. &, Finch, C. A. (1979). Iron Metabolism in Man. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific.Google Scholar
Conradie, J. D. &, Mbhele, B. E. L. (1980). South African Medical Journal 57, 282287.Google Scholar
Cummings, J. H. (1978). America Journal of Clinical Nutrition 31, S21S29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Derman, D. P., Bothwell, T. H., Torrance, J. D., Bezwoda, W. R., MacPhail, A. P., Kew, M. C., Sayers, M. H., Disler, P. B. &, Charlton, R. W. (1980). British Journal of Nutrition 43, 271279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Derman, D. P., Sayers, M., Lynch, S. R., Charlton, R. W., Bothwell, T. H. &, Mayet, F. (1977). British Journal of Nutrition 38, 261269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diaber, K. H. (1975). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 26, 13991411.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Disler, P. B., Lynch, S. R., Charlton, R. W., Torrance, J. D., Bothwell, T. H., Walker, R. B. &, Mayet, F. (1975). Gut 16, 193200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eakins, J. D. &, Brown, D. A. (1966). International Journal of Applied Radiation Isotopes 17, 391397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eastwood, M. A. &, Mitchell, W. D. (1976). In Fiber in Human Nutrition, p. 115 [Spiller, G.A., Amen, R. J., editors]. New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Ellis, R. &, Morris, E. R. (1979). Nutrition Reports International 20, 739747.Google Scholar
Ellis, R., Morris, E. R. &, Hill, A. D. (1982). Nutrition Research 2, 319322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernandez, R. &, Phillips, S. F. (1982). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 35, 100106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gillooly, M., Bothwell, T. H., Torrance, J. D., MacPhail, A. P., Derman, D. P., Bezwoda, W. R., Mills, W., Charlton, R. W. &, Mayet, F. (1983). British Journal of Nutrition 49, 331342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hallberg, L. (1974). Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 33, 285291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hallberg, L. (1981). Annual Review of Nutrition 1, 123, 147.Google Scholar
Hallberg, L., Bjorn-Rasmussen, E., Garby, L., Pleehachinda, R. &, Suwanik, R. (1978). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 31, 14031408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
International Commission for Radiation Protection (1960). Report of Committee 11 on Permissible Dose of Internal Radiation (1959). ICRP Publication no. 2. Oxford: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
International Committee for, Standardization in Haematology (1978 a). British Journal of Haematology 38, 291294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
International Committee for, Standardization in Haematology (1978 b). British Journal of Haematology 38, 281290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacPhail, A. P., Bothwell, T. H., Torrance, J. D., Derman, D. P., Bezwoda, W. R., Charlton, R. W. &, Mayet, F. G. H. (1981). South African Medical Journal 59, 939942.Google Scholar
Martinez-Torres, C. &, Layrisse, M. (1973). Clinics in Haematology 2, 339352.Google Scholar
Mayet, F., Adams, E. B., Moodley, T., Kleber, E. E. &, Cooper, S. K. (1972). South African Medical Journal 46, 14271430.Google Scholar
Monnier, L., Aguirre, C. L. &, Mirouze, J. (1980). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 34, 12251232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morris, E. R. &, Ellis, R. (1980). Journal of Nutrition 110, 10371045.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Narasinga Rao, B. S. N. &, Prabhavathi, T. (1982). Journal of Science Food and Agriculture 33, 8996.Google Scholar
Reinhold, J. G., Garcia, J. S. &, Garzon, P. (1981). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 34, 13841391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rossander, L., Hallberg, L. &, Björn-Rasmussen, E. (1979). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 32, 24842489.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sandstead, H. H., Munoz, J. M., Jacob, R. A., Klevay, L. M., Reck, S. J., Logan, G. M., Dintzis, F. R., Inglett, G. E. &, Shuey, W. C. (1978). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 31, S180S184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sayers, M. H., Lynch, S. R., Charlton, R. W., Bothwell, T. H., Walker, R. B. &, Mayet, F. (1974 a). British Journal of Nutrition 31, 367375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sayers, M. H., Lynch, S. R., Charlton, R. W., Bothwell, T. H., Walker, R. B. &, Mayet, F. (1974 b). British Journal of Haematology 28, 483495.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sayers, M. H., Lynch, S. R., Jacobs, P., Charlton, R. W., Bothwell, T. H., Walker, R. B. &, Mayet, F. (1973). British Journal of Haematology 24, 209218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simpson, K. M., Morris, E. R. &, Cook, J. D. (1981). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 110, 14691478.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
South African, Bureau of Standards (1972). Code of Practice for Medical use of Ionizing Radiations, document no. 07.Google Scholar
Southgate, D. A. T., Bailey, B., Collison, E. &, Walker, A. F. (1976). Journal of Human Nutrition 30, 303313.Google Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. (1978). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 31, S12S20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wheeler, E. L. &, Ferrel, R. E. (1971). Cereal Chemistry 48, 321330.Google Scholar