Rice Fortified with Iron Given Weekly Increases Hemoglobin Levels and Reduces Anemia in Infants: a Community Intervention Trial

Abstract

More than two billion people suffer from anemia worldwide, and it is estimated that more than 50 % of cases are caused by iron deficiency. In this community intervention trial, we evaluated infants aged 10 to 23 months of age (n = 171) from two public child day-care centers. Intervention lasted 18 weeks. The 50-g individual portion (uncooked) of fortified rice provided 56.4 mg of elemental iron as ferric pyrophosphate. Capillary blood samples to test for anemia were taken at baseline and at endpoint. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of rice fortified with iron (Ultrarice®) on hemoglobin and anemia prevalence compared with standard household rice. For the fortified rice center, baseline mean hemoglobin was 113.7 ± 9.2 g/L, and at endpoint 119.5 ± 7.7 g/L, p < 0.0001; for the standard rice center, baseline mean hemoglobin value was 113.5 ± 40.7 g/L, and at endpoint 113.6 ± 21.0, p = 0.99. Anemia prevalence for the fortified rice center was 27.8 % (20/72) at baseline, and 11.1 % (8/72) at endpoint, p = 0.012; for the control center, 47.1 % (33/70) were anemic at baseline, and 37.1 % (26/70) at the end of the study, p = 0.23. The Number Needed to Treat (NNT) was 4. In this intervention, rice fortified with iron given weekly was effective in increasing hemoglobin levels and reducing anemia in infants.