Iron Absorption From Nafeedta-Fortified Oat Beverages With Or Without Added Vitamin C

Background: Food fortification is the best long-term approach for reducing the incidence of iron deficiency. Objective: To determine iron absorption from NaFeEDTA-fortified oat beverages without and with vitamin C. Materials and methods: Iron absorption in 19 apparently healthy 6-year-old children was studied. Two oat beverages fortified with iron (labeled with stable isotopes of NaFeEDTA), zinc, and vitamin A, without and with vitamin C was consumed in two consecutive days in random order. Blood samples were taken 14 days later for stable isotope measurements. Results: The mean fractional iron absorption from the fortified oat beverage without vitamin C (5.65 +/- 0.54%) was significantly lower than that from the beverage with vitamin C (7.14 +/- 0.90%; p<0.05). Conclusion: Fortified oat beverages may offer a convenient and effective mechanism to improve the iron status of children. The addition of vitamin C improved iron absorption by an additional 1.5%.