Iron supplement with meat falls short of improving deficiency in women

A meal containing animal meat appears to have no benefit in improving iron status in women of reproductive age with iron deficiency when consumed along with a supplement, reports a study.

Fifty-two nonpregnant women of reproductive age (BMI 22.9 kg/m²) with low iron stores (serum ferritin concentration <25 μg/L) were randomized to consume an iron supplement containing 32-mg elemental iron (from ferrous sulfate) with a lunch meal containing either 113 g of beef or plant-based meat once a day for 8 weeks. Meals were identical except for the addition of animal or plant.

Biochemical indicators of iron status and anaemia served as the primary outcomes. The investigators presented the data as means.

The two groups did not differ in baseline indicators of iron status and anaemia.

Daily consumption of an iron supplement with a lunch meal led to improvements in serum ferritin concentrations (main time effect [MTE], 10.7 μg/L; p<0.0001), transferrin saturation (MTE, 5.1 percent; p=0.048), soluble transferrin receptor (MTE, ‒0.6 mg/L; p<0.001), body iron stores (MTE, 2.8 mg/kg; p<0.0001), and haemoglobin (MTE, 0.5 g/dL; p=0.0002) regardless of whether the meals contained animal or plant meat (p>0.05 for all indicators).

“Animal meat contains heme iron, which is more bioavailable and better absorbed than nonheme iron found in plants,” the investigators said. “Animal meat also contains a ‘meat factor’ that stimulates absorption of nonheme iron.”