Increasingly, intakes of certain micronutrients are falling in Western populations. In the developing nations, traditional deficiency diseases are still a cause of high mortality and morbidity amongst the poorest socioeconomic groups. Micronutrient supplementation could be a practical solution to low intakes, but compliance with such regimens could be problematic, and the overall cost and benefit might be questionable. Fortified and functional foods, those that contains increased concentrations of particular nutrients, might be a more practical solution to low micronutrient intakes. Fortification of foods can occur through selection of a particular cultivar for their bioaccumulation properties, or can involve the addition of micronutrients to foods during processing. Milk and bread have been fortified in Western nations with vitamin D and folic acid for decades, respectively, and such practices could be expanded to provide other micronutrients to those at risk of deficiency.
A number of studies have investigated the effects of functional foods on various populations to assess their benefit to micronutrient status. For example, researchers1 in India have used micronized ferric pyrophosphate (MFPP) in extruded rice kernels mixed with a rice base meal to investigate the effects of plasma iron in Indian children (5 to 11 years). The MFPP was added to rice flour and a dough prepared, and this was then inserted in a mould to produce rice shaped fragments. The fortified rice (providing 19mg total iron at a single meal) was fed to a treatment group in a double blind fashion for 8 months, whereas the control group received only unfortified rice. The sensory qualities of both rice meals were similar, and following the 8 month study period, the plasma ferritin in the treatment group increased significantly (8.2µg/L) compared to the non-fortified rice group.
Although the haemoglobin levels of both groups remained the same, this study confirms that micronutrient fortification of foods with iron is an effective way to increase plasma iron status. Based on these findings, it should be possible to fortify similar foods with other micronutrients to increase micronutrient intakes in vulnerable groups. The fact that iron status improved, but anaemia rates were similar between the groups at baseline and 8 months indicates that improving iron status alone in ineffective at treating anaemia. This is interesting because it suggests that iron deficiencies are more complex that was previously though. Zinc, magnesium, selenium and chromium intakes have been repeated reported to be deficient in a number of clinical and epidemiological studies. Fortification of foods with these minerals might therefore be an effective strategy to prevent disease in populations at risk of deficiency, where supplementation is impractical.
RdB
