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The effect of biofortified rice and wheat in India's food supply on dietary bioavailable iron
Author(s) -
Dhillon Christina M Nyhus,
PinstrupAndersen Per,
Haas Jere D,
Balakrishgalla,
Brahmam GNV
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.2_supplement.770
Subject(s) - biofortification , micronutrient , staple food , bioavailability , population , microbiology and biotechnology , iron deficiency , micronutrient deficiency , nutrient , malnutrition , agronomy , human nutrition , biology , food science , anemia , agriculture , medicine , environmental health , bioinformatics , ecology , pathology
Iron deficiency anemia rates in India are among the highest in the world, with 79% of children and 52% of pregnant women affected1, and are attributed to the low bioavailability of iron in the diet. Biofortification efforts aim to improve the nutrient level of basic cereals crops and are a strategy proposed to improve micronutrient intakes in India. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of iron‐biofortified rice and wheat on bioavailable iron in rural Indian diets. Twenty‐four hour recall data were analyzed from the National Nutrition Monitoring Board in India from 2005. Observations included in the analysis & Hulthen2 algorithm) was defined as <50% of basal requirements according to sex, age and physiological status. Additional iron from biofortified rice and wheat were 0.7 mg and 2.9 mg per 100g of rice and wheat, respectively. Results indicate that replacing current iron and wheat with biofortified varieties would improve the average amount of bioavailable iron in the diet by 28%, shifting 8% of the population or 22.6 million individuals out of risk of inadequate bioavailable iron. The replacement of current rice and wheat varieties with iron‐biofortified varieties could yield substantial improvements in iron intakes for many Indians, especially in rice‐consuming states.