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Iron biofortification interventions to improve iron status and functional outcomes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2019

Julia L. Finkelstein*
Affiliation:
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA Institute for Nutritional Sciences, Global Health, and Technology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA St. John's Research Institute, Bangalore, India
Amy Fothergill
Affiliation:
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Laura S. Hackl
Affiliation:
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Jere D. Haas
Affiliation:
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Saurabh Mehta
Affiliation:
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA Institute for Nutritional Sciences, Global Health, and Technology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA St. John's Research Institute, Bangalore, India
*
*Corresponding Author: Julia Finkelstein, email jfinkelstein@cornell.edu
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Abstract

This analysis was conducted to evaluate the evidence of the efficacy of iron biofortification interventions on iron status and functional outcomes. Iron deficiency is a major public health problem worldwide, with a disproportionate impact on women and young children, particularly those living in resource-limited settings. Biofortification, or the enhancing of micronutrient content in staple crops, is a promising and sustainable agriculture-based approach to improve nutritional status. Previous randomised efficacy trials and meta-analyses have demonstrated that iron-biofortification interventions improved iron biomarkers; however, no systematic reviews to date have examined the efficacy of biofortification interventions on health outcomes. We conducted a systematic review of the efficacy of iron-biofortified staple crops on iron status and functional outcomes: cognitive function (e.g. attention, memory) and physical performance. Five studies from three randomised efficacy trials (i.e. rice, pearl millet, beans) conducted in the Philippines, India and Rwanda were identified for inclusion in this review. Iron status (Hb, serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, total body iron, α-1-acid glycoprotein) was measured at baseline and endline in each trial; two studies reported cognitive outcomes, and no studies reported other functional outcomes. Meta-analyses were conducted using DerSimonian and Laird random-effects methods. Iron-biofortified crop interventions significantly improved cognitive performance in attention and memory domains, compared with conventional crops. There were no significant effects on categorical outcomes such as iron deficiency or anaemia. Further studies are needed to determine the efficacy of iron-biofortified staple crops on human health, including additional functional outcomes and other high-risk populations.

Information

Type
Conference on ‘Targeted approaches to tackling current nutritional issues’
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2019 
Figure 0

Fig. 1. PRISMA flow diagram.

Figure 1

Table 1. MEDLINE search strategy

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Table 2. Primary outcomes for iron status and functional parameters

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Table 3. Characteristics of randomised efficacy feeding trials of iron-biofortified crops

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Table 4. Cognitive assessment instruments and respective memory and attention domains

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Fig. 2. Risk of bias assessment for all included studies. Risk of bias was assessed by two authors independently and classified as either low (+), high (−) or unclear (?) for each respective domain. (A) Random sequence generation (selection bias); (B) allocation concealment (selection bias); (C) blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias); (D) blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias); (E) incomplete outcome data (attrition bias); (F) selective reporting (reporting bias); (G) other bias. Numbers in parentheses indicate listed references.

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Fig. 3. Effect of iron-biofortified crop interventions on anaemia (Hb < 120 g/l). Numbers in parentheses in the study/subgroup column indicate listed references.

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Fig. 4. Effect of iron-biofortified crop interventions on iron deficiency (serum ferritin < 15·0 µg/l). Numbers in parentheses in the study/subgroup column indicate listed references.

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Fig. 5. Effect of iron-biofortified crop interventions on iron deficiency (total body iron < 0·0 mg/kg). Numbers in parentheses in the study/subgroup column indicate listed references.

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Fig. 6. Effect of iron-biofortified crops on cognitive outcomes: attention domain. Performance was measured as difference in reaction times. Details on the procedures of the performed tests can be found in Table 4. Numbers in parentheses in the study/subgroup column indicate listed references.

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Fig. 7. Effect of iron-biofortified crops on cognitive outcomes: memory domain. Performance was measured as difference in reaction times. Details on the procedures of the performed tests can be found in Table 4. Numbers in parentheses in the study/subgroup column indicate listed references.