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Consuming Iron‐Biofortified Beans Reduces Time Spent in Discretionary Sedentary Activity in Iron‐Depleted Rwandese Women Compared to Conventional Beans
Author(s) -
Luna Sarah,
Lung'aho Mercy,
Gahutu Jean Bosco,
Haas Jere
Publication year - 2015
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.29.1_supplement.605.1
Subject(s) - biofortification , iron deficiency , physical activity , medicine , hemoglobin , zoology , environmental health , anemia , micronutrient , physical therapy , biology , pathology
Iron deficiency has been shown to negatively impact physical performance in laboratory‐based tests; however, little is known about its effects on free‐living physical activity. To test whether consuming iron‐biofortified beans reduces discretionary time spent in sedentary activity (MET=1), accelerometry data were collected in 111 Rwandese university women before and after a 20‐week iron‐biofortification feeding trial. From six‐day accelerometry data, we analyzed weekend values when participants had discretionary time. Metabolic equivalents (METs) were calculated with Crouter's refined 2‐regression model, and nonwear time was defined as vector magnitude = 0 for 60 consecutive minutes. Mixed effects models analyzing change in activity as the dependent variable were used to analyze the effect of consuming iron‐biofortified beans on time spent in different levels of physical activity. Women in both iron‐biofortified and control bean groups increased time spent in sedentary activity; however, those who consumed iron‐biofortified beans increased 102 min compared to 201 minutes in women who consumed the control bean (p=0.04). Change in hemoglobin from baseline to endline significantly predicted minutes spent in sedentary activity (estimate: ‐7.34 min per g/L Hb; p=0.04). The increase in discretionary sedentary activity between baseline and endline (both groups) may have been influenced by the nature and intensity of academic activities during the two periods; however, the effect of biofortification reducing time spent in sedentary activity is evident. Funded by HarvestPlus.