Michael Hoppe - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Michael Hoppe
Skeletal radiology, Jan 10, 2014
To investigate the reliability and validity of computer-aided automated and manual quantification... more To investigate the reliability and validity of computer-aided automated and manual quantification as well as semiquantitative analysis for MRI synovitis, bone marrow edema-like lesions, erosion and cartilage loss of the wrist in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to the OMERACT-RAMRIS. Wrist MRI was performed at 3 T in 16 patients with RA. Synovial volume and perfusion, bone marrow edema-like lesion (BMEL) volume, signal intensity and perfusion, and erosion dimensions were measured manually and using an in-house-developed automated software algorithm; findings were correlated with the OMERAC-RAMRIS gradings. In addition, a semiquantitative MRI cartilage loss score system was developed. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to test the reproducibility of these quantitative and semiquantitative techniques. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated between lesion quantifications and RAMRIS and between the MRI cartilage score and radiographic Sharp van der Heijde ...
Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), 2009
Information has no value unless it is accessible. With physical books, most people rely on the ta... more Information has no value unless it is accessible. With physical books, most people rely on the table of contents and subject index to find what they want. But what if they are reading a book in a digital library and have access to a fulltext search tool?
The aim of this study was to determine whether habitual dietary intake of fatty fish, whole grain... more The aim of this study was to determine whether habitual dietary intake of fatty fish, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, or a combination of them all, is associated with oxidative stress levels, measured as urine concentration of 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) in healthy women. Eighty-one participants were included in this cross-sectional study. Mean age of the women was 26.1 ± 6.2 (mean ± SD) years and mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.4 ± 3.0 kg/m(2). The concentration of 8-iso-PGF2α was determined in urine, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels were determined in blood. Participants' habitual fish, whole grain, fruit, and vegetable intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire. In the multivariate analysis, there was a significant inverse association between 8-iso-PGF2α and high fatty fish intake (P < 0.001). Fatty fish intake was positively correlated to serum phospholipid concentrations of EPA (P = 0.001) and DHA (P = 0.002). A borderline effect of DHA was seen on 8-iso-PGF2α, but higher serum phospholipid concentrations of fatty acids were generally not related to lower F2-isoprostane levels. No overall effect from whole grains or fruits and vegetables was seen. The results indicate that high intake of fatty fish is related to lower levels of oxidative stress, but high levels of ω-3 fatty acids in intake may not alone explain the effect. High habitual intake of whole grains or fruits and vegetables did not seem to affect the F2-isoprostane level.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Nov 1, 2006
The British journal of nutrition, Jan 15, 2015
PURPOSE This study quantified the potential reduction of dose to the breast provided by tilting t... more PURPOSE This study quantified the potential reduction of dose to the breast provided by tilting the CT gantry to align the axis of rotation with the long-axis of the heart, which would result in short-axis images. A tilted-gantry cardiac scan was first proposed by Halpern et al [Acad Rad 2009], however their initial study did not estimate the reduction in glandular breast dose. METHOD AND MATERIALS Upon IRB approval, female voxelized phantoms were created from acquired cardiac CT datasets. The datasets were segmented based on CT number into 11 materials corresponding to tissues reported in ICRU Report 44. A semi-automated method segmented the breast tissue into adipose and glandular regions. The voxelized phantoms were used with the Monte Carlo radiation transport toolkit GEANT4 to determine dose deposited in glandular breast tissue during a cardiac CT scan. A preliminary pilot study was performed with one voxelized phantom, and 14 additional voxelized phantoms are currently being c...
PURPOSE This study investigated tilted gantry acquisition to reduce radiation dose to glandular b... more PURPOSE This study investigated tilted gantry acquisition to reduce radiation dose to glandular breast tissue in females during cardiac CT scans. Reducing dose to glandular breast tissue is important due to its radiosensitivity. Also, the location of breast tissue typically places it in the beam’s path during a scan even though it is likely not of diagnostic significance during the procedure. METHOD AND MATERIALS Cardiac CT was simulated through computer simulation and experimental measurements. Upon IRB approval, 10 voxelized phantoms were constructed from previously acquired cardiac CT datasets. The phantoms were used with the GEANT4 radiation transport simulation toolkit to quantify dose deposited in glandular breast tissue. A physical anthropomorphic phantom of a human female was used with MOSFET dosimeters to measure the dose deposited in the breast and lung regions using a clinical CT scanner (CT750HD, GE Healthcare). In both simulations and experiments, scans were performed a...
Nutrition, 2015
The aim of this study was to determine whether habitual dietary intake of fatty fish, whole grain... more The aim of this study was to determine whether habitual dietary intake of fatty fish, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, or a combination of them all, is associated with oxidative stress levels, measured as urine concentration of 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) in healthy women. Eighty-one participants were included in this cross-sectional study. Mean age of the women was 26.1 ± 6.2 (mean ± SD) years and mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.4 ± 3.0 kg/m(2). The concentration of 8-iso-PGF2α was determined in urine, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels were determined in blood. Participants' habitual fish, whole grain, fruit, and vegetable intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire. In the multivariate analysis, there was a significant inverse association between 8-iso-PGF2α and high fatty fish intake (P < 0.001). Fatty fish intake was positively correlated to serum phospholipid concentrations of EPA (P = 0.001) and DHA (P = 0.002). A borderline effect of DHA was seen on 8-iso-PGF2α, but higher serum phospholipid concentrations of fatty acids were generally not related to lower F2-isoprostane levels. No overall effect from whole grains or fruits and vegetables was seen. The results indicate that high intake of fatty fish is related to lower levels of oxidative stress, but high levels of ω-3 fatty acids in intake may not alone explain the effect. High habitual intake of whole grains or fruits and vegetables did not seem to affect the F2-isoprostane level.
British Journal of Nutrition, 2004
Scandinavian Journal of Clinical & Laboratory Investigation, 2003
To present a new method for measuring the relative bioavailability (RBV) of commercial elemental ... more To present a new method for measuring the relative bioavailability (RBV) of commercial elemental iron powders by investigating induced changes of serum iron concentration (S-Fe) in relation to ferrous sulphate (FeSO4). Earlier studies have shown that in a group of subjects there is good agreement between the increase in S-Fe and the amount of iron absorbed from a simple iron salt as FeSO4. The study included two groups of male blood donors (n=2 x 16 subjects) who were served three meals with an interval of approximately nine weeks between each one. In one group the meal was fortified with reduced iron, ferrous sulphate or no iron at all. In the other group the meal was fortified with electrolytic iron, ferrous sulphate or no iron. The S-Fe increase was followed for 6 h. Studying the non-iron meals was necessary so that the basal diurnal variation in the S-Fe during the six hours could be measured and subtracted. The mean S-Fe increase calculated as the area under the curve (AUC) from the reduced iron (RBV=0.43) and the electrolytic iron (RBV=0.73) differed significantly from the AUC following FeSO4 (p=0.002 and p=0.021, respectively). The difference between the reduced and the electrolytic iron was also statistically significant (p=0.036). Measuring increases in S-Fe could be a reliable and simple method to determine the RBV in comparative studies of elemental iron powders in relation to FeSO4.
PEDIATRICS, 2003
Background. Iron requirements during the weaning period are the highest per unit body weight duri... more Background. Iron requirements during the weaning period are the highest per unit body weight during human life, and diet is often insufficient to cover iron needs. For the first time in infant nutrition the absorption of both nonheme and heme iron from a typical weaning gruel after addition of meat with and without ascorbic acid (AA) to improve bioavailability was studied.
Nutrition, 2013
Objective: Conventional iron deficiency treatment with pharmacologic iron doses often causes side... more Objective: Conventional iron deficiency treatment with pharmacologic iron doses often causes side effects. Heme iron has high bioavailability and a low capacity to cause gastrointestinal side effects. This study investigated the possibility of using heme iron in the form of blood-based crisp bread as a diet-based treatment program to improve the iron status of women of reproductive age. Methods: In a 12-wk intervention study, 77 women (mean age 24 y) were assigned to one of four groups: blood-based crisp bread (35 mg of iron [Fe], 27 mg of which was heme Fe), iron supplementation consisting of 35 mg of non-heme iron/day (Fe35), iron supplementation consisting of 60 mg of non-heme iron/day (Fe60), and controls (iron-free tablets). Results: Body iron increased significantly in the crisp bread group by a median of 2.7 mg/kg (interquartile range 3.1, n ¼ 18), in the Fe35 group by 2.7 mg/kg (interquartile range 2.8, n ¼ 11), and in the Fe60 group by 4.1 mg/kg (interquartile range 3.6, n ¼ 13), whereas no change was observed in the control group. No statistically significant difference in iron status increase was observed between the crisp bread group compared with the two iron-supplemented groups. Conclusion: Dietary-based treatment containing heme iron has few side effects and can be used efficiently to improve the iron status of women of reproductive age.
Medical Physics, 2013
This study investigated the effects of tilted-gantry acquisition on image noise and glandular bre... more This study investigated the effects of tilted-gantry acquisition on image noise and glandular breast dose in females during cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans. Reducing the dose to glandular breast tissue is important due to its high radiosensitivity and limited diagnostic significance in cardiac CT scans. Tilted-gantry acquisition was investigated through computer simulations and experimental measurements. Upon IRB approval, eight voxelized phantoms were constructed from previously acquired cardiac CT datasets. Monte Carlo simulations quantified the dose deposited in glandular breast tissue over a range of tilt angles. The effects of tilted-gantry acquisition on breast dose were measured on a clinical CT scanner (CT750HD, GE Healthcare) using an anthropomorphic phantom with MOSFET dosimeters in the breast regions. In both simulations and experiments, scans were performed at gantry tilt angles of 0°-30°, in 5° increments. The percent change in breast dose was calculated relative to the nontilted scan for all tilt angles. The percent change in noise standard deviation due to gantry tilt was calculated in all reconstructed simulated and experimental images. Tilting the gantry reduced the breast dose in all simulated and experimental phantoms, with generally greater dose reduction at increased gantry tilts. For example, at 30° gantry tilt, the dosimeters located in the superior, middle, and inferior breast regions measured dose reductions of 74%, 61%, and 9%, respectively. The simulations estimated 0%-30% total breast dose reduction across the eight phantoms and range of tilt angles. However, tilted-gantry acquisition also increased the noise standard deviation in the simulated phantoms by 2%-50% due to increased pathlength through the iodine-filled heart. The experimental phantom, which did not contain iodine in the blood, demonstrated decreased breast dose and decreased noise at all gantry tilt angles. Tilting the gantry reduced the dose to the breast, while also increasing noise standard deviation. Overall, the noise increase outweighed the dose reduction for the eight voxelized phantoms, suggesting that tilted gantry acquisition may not be beneficial for reducing breast dose while maintaining image quality.
Medical Physics, 2012
Purpose: To estimate organ and effective radiation doses due to backscatter security scanners usi... more Purpose: To estimate organ and effective radiation doses due to backscatter security scanners using Monte Carlo simulations and a voxelized phantom set.
The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, 2006
Background: Aminoterminal B-type pro-natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a reliable indicator of h... more Background: Aminoterminal B-type pro-natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a reliable indicator of heart failure severity.
European Journal of Nutrition, 2006
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2008
Background: The most common method of combating iron deficiency is iron fortification, especially... more Background: The most common method of combating iron deficiency is iron fortification, especially in developing countries. However, few studies have shown a significant effect on iron status following iron fortification of low bioavailability diets. Objective: To investigate how iron fortification and dietary modifications affect iron absorption and rates of changes in iron stores. Methods: Research has made it possible to predict both iron absorption and the effects of iron fortification and diet modifications on iron stores using recently developed algorithms. Iron absorption and rate of change in iron stores were calculated from nine diets representing a broad range of iron bioavailability and iron contents. The calculations were related to the main target group for iron fortification, that is, women of reproductive age having empty stores but normal haemoglobin concentrations. Results: As the only measure, iron fortification has practically no effect on iron status if the original diet has low bioavailability. However, after dietary modifications such a diet shows a positive effect on iron stores. The combined action of fortification (6 mg/day) and modest bioavailability changes in a low bioavailability diet results approximately in 40 and 70% greater increases in iron stores than through iron fortification or dietary modification alone.
Skeletal radiology, Jan 10, 2014
To investigate the reliability and validity of computer-aided automated and manual quantification... more To investigate the reliability and validity of computer-aided automated and manual quantification as well as semiquantitative analysis for MRI synovitis, bone marrow edema-like lesions, erosion and cartilage loss of the wrist in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to the OMERACT-RAMRIS. Wrist MRI was performed at 3 T in 16 patients with RA. Synovial volume and perfusion, bone marrow edema-like lesion (BMEL) volume, signal intensity and perfusion, and erosion dimensions were measured manually and using an in-house-developed automated software algorithm; findings were correlated with the OMERAC-RAMRIS gradings. In addition, a semiquantitative MRI cartilage loss score system was developed. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to test the reproducibility of these quantitative and semiquantitative techniques. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated between lesion quantifications and RAMRIS and between the MRI cartilage score and radiographic Sharp van der Heijde ...
Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), 2009
Information has no value unless it is accessible. With physical books, most people rely on the ta... more Information has no value unless it is accessible. With physical books, most people rely on the table of contents and subject index to find what they want. But what if they are reading a book in a digital library and have access to a fulltext search tool?
The aim of this study was to determine whether habitual dietary intake of fatty fish, whole grain... more The aim of this study was to determine whether habitual dietary intake of fatty fish, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, or a combination of them all, is associated with oxidative stress levels, measured as urine concentration of 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) in healthy women. Eighty-one participants were included in this cross-sectional study. Mean age of the women was 26.1 ± 6.2 (mean ± SD) years and mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.4 ± 3.0 kg/m(2). The concentration of 8-iso-PGF2α was determined in urine, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels were determined in blood. Participants' habitual fish, whole grain, fruit, and vegetable intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire. In the multivariate analysis, there was a significant inverse association between 8-iso-PGF2α and high fatty fish intake (P < 0.001). Fatty fish intake was positively correlated to serum phospholipid concentrations of EPA (P = 0.001) and DHA (P = 0.002). A borderline effect of DHA was seen on 8-iso-PGF2α, but higher serum phospholipid concentrations of fatty acids were generally not related to lower F2-isoprostane levels. No overall effect from whole grains or fruits and vegetables was seen. The results indicate that high intake of fatty fish is related to lower levels of oxidative stress, but high levels of ω-3 fatty acids in intake may not alone explain the effect. High habitual intake of whole grains or fruits and vegetables did not seem to affect the F2-isoprostane level.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Nov 1, 2006
The British journal of nutrition, Jan 15, 2015
PURPOSE This study quantified the potential reduction of dose to the breast provided by tilting t... more PURPOSE This study quantified the potential reduction of dose to the breast provided by tilting the CT gantry to align the axis of rotation with the long-axis of the heart, which would result in short-axis images. A tilted-gantry cardiac scan was first proposed by Halpern et al [Acad Rad 2009], however their initial study did not estimate the reduction in glandular breast dose. METHOD AND MATERIALS Upon IRB approval, female voxelized phantoms were created from acquired cardiac CT datasets. The datasets were segmented based on CT number into 11 materials corresponding to tissues reported in ICRU Report 44. A semi-automated method segmented the breast tissue into adipose and glandular regions. The voxelized phantoms were used with the Monte Carlo radiation transport toolkit GEANT4 to determine dose deposited in glandular breast tissue during a cardiac CT scan. A preliminary pilot study was performed with one voxelized phantom, and 14 additional voxelized phantoms are currently being c...
PURPOSE This study investigated tilted gantry acquisition to reduce radiation dose to glandular b... more PURPOSE This study investigated tilted gantry acquisition to reduce radiation dose to glandular breast tissue in females during cardiac CT scans. Reducing dose to glandular breast tissue is important due to its radiosensitivity. Also, the location of breast tissue typically places it in the beam’s path during a scan even though it is likely not of diagnostic significance during the procedure. METHOD AND MATERIALS Cardiac CT was simulated through computer simulation and experimental measurements. Upon IRB approval, 10 voxelized phantoms were constructed from previously acquired cardiac CT datasets. The phantoms were used with the GEANT4 radiation transport simulation toolkit to quantify dose deposited in glandular breast tissue. A physical anthropomorphic phantom of a human female was used with MOSFET dosimeters to measure the dose deposited in the breast and lung regions using a clinical CT scanner (CT750HD, GE Healthcare). In both simulations and experiments, scans were performed a...
Nutrition, 2015
The aim of this study was to determine whether habitual dietary intake of fatty fish, whole grain... more The aim of this study was to determine whether habitual dietary intake of fatty fish, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, or a combination of them all, is associated with oxidative stress levels, measured as urine concentration of 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) in healthy women. Eighty-one participants were included in this cross-sectional study. Mean age of the women was 26.1 ± 6.2 (mean ± SD) years and mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.4 ± 3.0 kg/m(2). The concentration of 8-iso-PGF2α was determined in urine, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels were determined in blood. Participants' habitual fish, whole grain, fruit, and vegetable intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire. In the multivariate analysis, there was a significant inverse association between 8-iso-PGF2α and high fatty fish intake (P < 0.001). Fatty fish intake was positively correlated to serum phospholipid concentrations of EPA (P = 0.001) and DHA (P = 0.002). A borderline effect of DHA was seen on 8-iso-PGF2α, but higher serum phospholipid concentrations of fatty acids were generally not related to lower F2-isoprostane levels. No overall effect from whole grains or fruits and vegetables was seen. The results indicate that high intake of fatty fish is related to lower levels of oxidative stress, but high levels of ω-3 fatty acids in intake may not alone explain the effect. High habitual intake of whole grains or fruits and vegetables did not seem to affect the F2-isoprostane level.
British Journal of Nutrition, 2004
Scandinavian Journal of Clinical & Laboratory Investigation, 2003
To present a new method for measuring the relative bioavailability (RBV) of commercial elemental ... more To present a new method for measuring the relative bioavailability (RBV) of commercial elemental iron powders by investigating induced changes of serum iron concentration (S-Fe) in relation to ferrous sulphate (FeSO4). Earlier studies have shown that in a group of subjects there is good agreement between the increase in S-Fe and the amount of iron absorbed from a simple iron salt as FeSO4. The study included two groups of male blood donors (n=2 x 16 subjects) who were served three meals with an interval of approximately nine weeks between each one. In one group the meal was fortified with reduced iron, ferrous sulphate or no iron at all. In the other group the meal was fortified with electrolytic iron, ferrous sulphate or no iron. The S-Fe increase was followed for 6 h. Studying the non-iron meals was necessary so that the basal diurnal variation in the S-Fe during the six hours could be measured and subtracted. The mean S-Fe increase calculated as the area under the curve (AUC) from the reduced iron (RBV=0.43) and the electrolytic iron (RBV=0.73) differed significantly from the AUC following FeSO4 (p=0.002 and p=0.021, respectively). The difference between the reduced and the electrolytic iron was also statistically significant (p=0.036). Measuring increases in S-Fe could be a reliable and simple method to determine the RBV in comparative studies of elemental iron powders in relation to FeSO4.
PEDIATRICS, 2003
Background. Iron requirements during the weaning period are the highest per unit body weight duri... more Background. Iron requirements during the weaning period are the highest per unit body weight during human life, and diet is often insufficient to cover iron needs. For the first time in infant nutrition the absorption of both nonheme and heme iron from a typical weaning gruel after addition of meat with and without ascorbic acid (AA) to improve bioavailability was studied.
Nutrition, 2013
Objective: Conventional iron deficiency treatment with pharmacologic iron doses often causes side... more Objective: Conventional iron deficiency treatment with pharmacologic iron doses often causes side effects. Heme iron has high bioavailability and a low capacity to cause gastrointestinal side effects. This study investigated the possibility of using heme iron in the form of blood-based crisp bread as a diet-based treatment program to improve the iron status of women of reproductive age. Methods: In a 12-wk intervention study, 77 women (mean age 24 y) were assigned to one of four groups: blood-based crisp bread (35 mg of iron [Fe], 27 mg of which was heme Fe), iron supplementation consisting of 35 mg of non-heme iron/day (Fe35), iron supplementation consisting of 60 mg of non-heme iron/day (Fe60), and controls (iron-free tablets). Results: Body iron increased significantly in the crisp bread group by a median of 2.7 mg/kg (interquartile range 3.1, n ¼ 18), in the Fe35 group by 2.7 mg/kg (interquartile range 2.8, n ¼ 11), and in the Fe60 group by 4.1 mg/kg (interquartile range 3.6, n ¼ 13), whereas no change was observed in the control group. No statistically significant difference in iron status increase was observed between the crisp bread group compared with the two iron-supplemented groups. Conclusion: Dietary-based treatment containing heme iron has few side effects and can be used efficiently to improve the iron status of women of reproductive age.
Medical Physics, 2013
This study investigated the effects of tilted-gantry acquisition on image noise and glandular bre... more This study investigated the effects of tilted-gantry acquisition on image noise and glandular breast dose in females during cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans. Reducing the dose to glandular breast tissue is important due to its high radiosensitivity and limited diagnostic significance in cardiac CT scans. Tilted-gantry acquisition was investigated through computer simulations and experimental measurements. Upon IRB approval, eight voxelized phantoms were constructed from previously acquired cardiac CT datasets. Monte Carlo simulations quantified the dose deposited in glandular breast tissue over a range of tilt angles. The effects of tilted-gantry acquisition on breast dose were measured on a clinical CT scanner (CT750HD, GE Healthcare) using an anthropomorphic phantom with MOSFET dosimeters in the breast regions. In both simulations and experiments, scans were performed at gantry tilt angles of 0°-30°, in 5° increments. The percent change in breast dose was calculated relative to the nontilted scan for all tilt angles. The percent change in noise standard deviation due to gantry tilt was calculated in all reconstructed simulated and experimental images. Tilting the gantry reduced the breast dose in all simulated and experimental phantoms, with generally greater dose reduction at increased gantry tilts. For example, at 30° gantry tilt, the dosimeters located in the superior, middle, and inferior breast regions measured dose reductions of 74%, 61%, and 9%, respectively. The simulations estimated 0%-30% total breast dose reduction across the eight phantoms and range of tilt angles. However, tilted-gantry acquisition also increased the noise standard deviation in the simulated phantoms by 2%-50% due to increased pathlength through the iodine-filled heart. The experimental phantom, which did not contain iodine in the blood, demonstrated decreased breast dose and decreased noise at all gantry tilt angles. Tilting the gantry reduced the dose to the breast, while also increasing noise standard deviation. Overall, the noise increase outweighed the dose reduction for the eight voxelized phantoms, suggesting that tilted gantry acquisition may not be beneficial for reducing breast dose while maintaining image quality.
Medical Physics, 2012
Purpose: To estimate organ and effective radiation doses due to backscatter security scanners usi... more Purpose: To estimate organ and effective radiation doses due to backscatter security scanners using Monte Carlo simulations and a voxelized phantom set.
The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, 2006
Background: Aminoterminal B-type pro-natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a reliable indicator of h... more Background: Aminoterminal B-type pro-natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a reliable indicator of heart failure severity.
European Journal of Nutrition, 2006
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2008
Background: The most common method of combating iron deficiency is iron fortification, especially... more Background: The most common method of combating iron deficiency is iron fortification, especially in developing countries. However, few studies have shown a significant effect on iron status following iron fortification of low bioavailability diets. Objective: To investigate how iron fortification and dietary modifications affect iron absorption and rates of changes in iron stores. Methods: Research has made it possible to predict both iron absorption and the effects of iron fortification and diet modifications on iron stores using recently developed algorithms. Iron absorption and rate of change in iron stores were calculated from nine diets representing a broad range of iron bioavailability and iron contents. The calculations were related to the main target group for iron fortification, that is, women of reproductive age having empty stores but normal haemoglobin concentrations. Results: As the only measure, iron fortification has practically no effect on iron status if the original diet has low bioavailability. However, after dietary modifications such a diet shows a positive effect on iron stores. The combined action of fortification (6 mg/day) and modest bioavailability changes in a low bioavailability diet results approximately in 40 and 70% greater increases in iron stores than through iron fortification or dietary modification alone.