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Iron nutrition in the UK: getting the balance right

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2007

Susan J. Fairweather-Tait
Susan J. Fairweather-Tait*
Affiliation:
Institute of Food Research, Norwich, NR4 7UA, UK
*
Corresponding author: Professor Susan Fairweather-Tait, fax +44 1603 452578, email sue.fairweather-tait@bbsrc.ac.uk
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Abstract

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Fe homeostasis is considered in the context of the UK diet, using information on Fe intake and status from the National Diet and Nutrition Surveys. The importance of assessing Fe availability rather than total Fe intake is discussed. Dietary and host-related factors that determine Fe bioavailability (Fe utilised for Hb production) are reviewed using information from single-meal studies. When adaptive responses are taken into consideration, foods associated with higher Fe status include meat (haem-Fe and the ‘meat factor’) and fruits and fruit juice (vitamin C). Foods that may have a negative impact include dairy products (Ca), high-fibre foods (phytate) and tea and coffee (polyphenols), but the effects are more apparent in groups with marginal Fe deficiency, such as women of childbearing age. Analysis of dietary intake data on a meal-by-meal basis is needed to predict the influence of changing dietary patterns on Fe nutrition in the UK. Current information suggests that in the UK Fe deficiency is a greater problem than Fe overload.

Keywords

Fe intake and statusBioavailability of FeFe-deficiency riskDietary patterns
Type
Symposium on ‘Micronutrient interactions and public health’
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 63 , Issue 4 , November 2004 , pp. 519 - 528
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2004

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