American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 24, 229-242, Copyright © 1971 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Iron, folate, and vitamin B₁₂ nutrition in a hunter-gatherer people: a study of the !Kung Bushmen

¹ From the Department of Haematology, School of Pathology, South African Institute for Medical Research and University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Iron, folate, and vitamin B₁₂ nutrition was studied in a group of Bushmen who live a hunter-gatherer existence, as did Stone Age man. Their diet consists of game meat and natural vegetation gathered from the veld. These Bushmen have come into contact with tribal Bantu and have acquired from them the use of the iron cooking pot. Beer brewed in this utensil is the major source of exogenous iron which produces Bantu siderosis. A hematologic investigation of these Bushmen has revealed a very low incidence of anemia and iron deficiency, remarkable in that the subjects studied included numerous young females, many of whom were lactating, and some pregnant, and that hookworm infestation was endemic in the population. It is unlikely that the iron in the food alone could maintain this level of iron nutrition, and it is suggested that the iron intake is supplemented by iron derived from the cooking pots. Clinical and biochemical evidence of siderosis was not noted in the Bushmen and this is probably because unlike the Bantu, they do not brew beer in these pots. At present, the use of iron pots by the Bushmen is nutritionally beneficial, but when they learn to brew beer in the pots, the term "Bantu siderosis" may need to be extended to include Bushmen as well.

There was a low incidence of folate deficiency and serum vitamin B₁₂ levels were all above the lower limit of normal for other populations and were elevated in some subjects. The findings suggest that nutritional deficiencies of these vitamins would not have occurred in Stone Age man, but have only resulted from the development of agrarian societies with their predominantly cereal diet. The Bushmen also showed elevated levels of vitamin B₁₂ binding proteins in the serum.

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