Comparative effects of the addition of mutton or beef to a bean seed ragout on iron status in growing rats

A Survey of Plant Iron Content-A Semi-Systematic Review

Iron is an essential mineral nutrient for all living organisms, involved in a plurality of biological processes. Its deficit is the cause of the most common form of anemia in the world: iron deficiency anemia (IDA). This paper reviews iron content in various parts of 1228 plant species and its absorption from herbal products, based on data collected from the literature in a semi-systematic manner. Five hundred genera randomly selected from the Angiosperms group, 215 genera from the Pteridophytes groups and all 95 Gymnosperm genera as listed in the Plant List version 1.1 were used as keywords together with the word "iron" in computerized searches. Iron data about additional genera returned by those searches were extracted and included in the analysis. In total, iron content values for a number of 1228 species, 5 subspecies, and 5 varieties were collected. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare iron contents in various plant parts (whole plant, roots, stems, shoots, leaves, aerial parts, flowers, fruits, seeds, wood, bark, other parts) and exploratory analyses by taxonomic groups and life-forms were carried out. The absorption and potential relevance of herbal iron for iron supplementation are discussed.

Influence of dietary fat and zinc supplementation on the iron utilization in growing rats

BACKGROUND/AIMS

There is increasing evidence that the amount and type of dietary fat may modify the utilization of the trace element iron. The present study investigated the effect of high amounts of fat of different origin at marginal and high dietary zinc supply on the iron utilization.

METHODS

Growing male rats, assigned to 1 of 6 groups of 8 animals each were fed diets that contained either 7 or 100 microg zinc/g. These diets were enriched with 0 or 22% fat as beef tallow (BT) or as sunflower oil (SO) above the basal level of 3% soybean oil. Iron was added as ferrous sulfate at 60 microg/g of diet.

RESULTS

The apparent iron absorption was markedly lower in the case of the high-fat diets at either zinc level. The BT diets resulted in significantly higher iron concentrations in the liver compared to both the SO and control diets. Hemoglobin and hematocrit were not influenced by any of the treatments.

CONCLUSION

Although the high-fat diets reduced iron absorption, there was no evidence for lower iron status parameters in blood and tissues. In contrast, BT as a source of saturated fatty acids markedly elevated liver iron concentrations.