American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 67, 664-668, Copyright © 1998 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Bioavailability of iron glycine as a fortificant in infant foods

TE Fox, J Eagles and SJ Fairweather-Tait
Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Colney, United Kingdom.

The bioavailability of iron glycine added to a vegetable infant weaning food was compared with ferrous sulfate. Stable, isotopically labeled compounds (57Fe or 58Fe) were mixed into the midday meal (1.4 mg added Fe/serving) and fed to 9-mo-old infants on alternate days for 8 d. Bioavailability, expressed as a percentage of the dose consumed, was measured from isotopic enrichment of hemoglobin 14 d after the last test meal. There was no difference between iron glycine and ferrous sulfate (x+/-SEM): 9.0+/-0.7% and 9.9+/-0.8%, respectively. The effect of chelation was examined by measuring iron bioavailability of iron glycine and ferrous sulfate added to a high-phytate (310 mg/100 g) whole-grain cereal weaning food and comparing it with a lower-phytate (147 mg/100 g) vegetable food, as used in the first study. Both iron compounds had lower bioavailability from the high-phytate food, 5.2+/- 0.5% for iron glycine and 3.8+/-0.9% for ferrous sulfate, than the lower-phytate food, 9.8+/-1.5% for iron glycine and 9.1+/-1.3% for ferrous sulfate. The results showed no significant difference in bioavailability between the two forms of iron when added to infant weaning foods, suggesting that the glycine complex was fully or partially dissociated in the gastrointestinal tract. It is concluded that chelation does not improve the bioavailability of iron in the presence of dietary inhibitors.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Navas-Carretero, A.M. Perez-Granados, B. Sarria, S. Schoppen, and M.P. Vaquero Iron Bioavailability from Pate Enriched with Encapsulated Ferric Pyrophosphate or Ferrous Gluconate in Rats Food Science and Technology International, April 1, 2007; 13(2): 159 - 163. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. A Roe, A.-L. M Heath, S. L Oyston, C. Macrow, J. A Hoogewerff, R. Foxall, J. R Dainty, G. Majsak-Newman, G. Willis, and S. J Fairweather-Tait Iron absorption in male C282Y heterozygotes Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, April 1, 2005; 81(4): 814 - 821. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. S. Mamiro, P. W. Kolsteren, J. H. van Camp, D. A. Roberfroid, S. Tatala, and A. S. Opsomer Processed Complementary Food Does Not Improve Growth or Hemoglobin Status of Rural Tanzanian Infants from 6-12 Months of Age in Kilosa District, Tanzania J. Nutr., May 1, 2004; 134(5): 1084 - 1090. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. I. Mazariegos, F. Pizarro, M. Olivares, M. T. Nunez, and M. Arredondo The Mechanisms for Regulating Absorption of Fe Bis-Glycine Chelate and Fe-Ascorbate in Caco-2 Cells Are Similar J. Nutr., February 1, 2004; 134(2): 395 - 398. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Walter, F. Pizarro, and M. Olivares Iron Bioavailability in Corn-Masa Tortillas Is Improved by the Addition of Disodium EDTA J. Nutr., October 1, 2003; 133(10): 3158 - 3161. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Pizarro, M. Olivares, E. Hertrampf, and M. Arredondo Reply to O Pineda Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, September 1, 2003; 78(3): 496 - 496. [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Pizarro, M. Olivares, E. Hertrampf, D. I Mazariegos, M. Arredondo, A. Letelier, and V. Gidi Iron bis-glycine chelate competes for the nonheme-iron absorption pathway Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, September 1, 2002; 76(3): 577 - 581. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. F. Hurrell Fortification: Overcoming Technical and Practical Barriers J. Nutr., April 1, 2002; 132(4): 806S - 812. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Y. Patterson and C. Veillon Stable Isotopes of Minerals as Metabolic Tracers in Human Nutrition Research Experimental Biology and Medicine, April 1, 2001; 226(4): 271 - 282. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				Z. Mumtaz, S. Shahab, N. Butt, M. A. Rab, and A. DeMuynck Daily Iron Supplementation Is More Effective than Twice Weekly Iron Supplementation in Pregnant Women in Pakistan in a Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial J. Nutr., November 1, 2000; 130(11): 2697 - 2702. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. C Bovell-Benjamin, F. E Viteri, and L. H Allen Iron absorption from ferrous bisglycinate and ferric trisglycinate in whole maize is regulated by iron status Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, June 1, 2000; 71(6): 1563 - 1569. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H D. Ashmead and T. E Fox Bioavailability of iron glycine Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, April 1, 1999; 69(4): 737 - 738. [Full Text] [PDF]