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A New Approach for Fixing Iron-Deficiency Anemia?Multivitamins and B-complex supplements can supply riboflavin
Iron-deficiency anemia affects 2% of adult men and between 9 and 20% of adult women in the United States. In the developing world, 40% of preschoolers, and nearly one-third of all people are iron deficient. These numbers highlight the importance of figuring out why so many of us don’t get or absorb enough dietary iron, and a new study points to the B vitamin riboflavin as a possible fix for the problem.
Reevaluating riboflavinSome health experts suspect that riboflavin deficiency may impair the body’s ability to absorb and use iron, and to further clarify the relationship between these nutrients, researchers invited 256 women, aged 19 to 25, to undergo screening for riboflavin deficiency and identified 123 women who were deficient. The riboflavin-deficient women were randomly selected to receive one of three supplements daily for eight weeks:
Intake of iron did not change throughout the study. Blood levels of riboflavin and hemoglobin, a marker of anemia, were measured at the start of the study and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after supplementation began. The researchers found that:
Riboflavin richesThis study suggests that even among healthy adults, low intake of riboflavin may be common. And for people who don’t get enough riboflavin, improving intake may help reduce the risk of iron deficiency, another common nutrition issue. Use our tips to ensure you are getting enough:
(Am J Clin Nutr 2011; 93:1274–84) Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RD, an author, speaker, and internationally recognized expert in chronic disease prevention, epidemiology, and nutrition, has taught medical, nursing, public health, and alternative medicine coursework. She has delivered over 150 invited lectures to health professionals and consumers and is the creator of a nutrition website acclaimed by the New York Times and Time magazine. Suzanne received her training in epidemiology and nutrition at the University of Michigan, School of Public Health at Ann Arbor. Copyright © 2024 TraceGains, Inc. All rights reserved. |