Revisiting Dietary Iron Requirement and Deficiency in Indian Women: Implications for Food Iron Fortification and Supplementation (original) (raw)

2018, The Journal of Nutrition

Anemia in Indian women continues to be highly prevalent, and is thought to be due to low dietary iron content. The high risk of dietary iron deficiency is based on the Indian Council of Medical Research recommendation of 21 mg/d, but there is a need for a secure and transparent determination of the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) of iron in this population. In nonpregnant, nonlactating women of reproductive age (WRA), the EAR of iron was determined to be 15 mg/d. Applying this value to daily iron intakes among WRA in nationally representative Indian state–based data showed that the median risk of dietary iron deficiency was lower than previously thought (65%; IQR: 48–78%), with considerable heterogeneity between states (range: 25–93%). However, in a validation, this risk matched the risk of iron deficiency as defined by blood biomarkers in a recently completed survey. When the risk of dietary iron deficiency was modelled for an increase in iron intake through food fortification ...