Abstract
Background: Women have an increased risk of iron deficiency during pregnancy because of the demands of the developing fetus. Iron supplements are commonly advocated as a prophylactic treatment and are generally taken with meals to reduce side effects, but iron can interfere with the absorption of zinc. Objective: The aim was to determine the effect of consuming an iron supplement (100 mg Fe/d as ferrous gluconate) with meals from 16 wk gestation to term on zinc status and absorption. Design: Stable-isotope techniques were used to measure zinc status (exchangeable zinc pool, EZP) and fractional zinc absorption (FZA) in early and late pregnancy from a meal consumed at a different time from that of iron supplement or placebo consumption in 6 women given iron supplements and 7 given a placebo. Results: FZA increased during pregnancy, independent of iron supplementation. FZA was significantly higher (P < 0.001) at week 34 than at weeks 16 and 24, and urinary zinc excretion was higher at week 34 than at week 16 (P = 0.02). The size of the EZP remained unchanged throughout pregnancy and was unaffected by iron supplementation. The iron status of iron-supplemented women was higher than that of the placebo group. Conclusions: In iron-replete pregnant women who consumed a Western diet, no detectable adverse effects on zinc metabolism were observed after ingestion of 100 mg Fe/d. An increase in the efficiency of zinc absorption was observed during late pregnancy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 131-136 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | American Journal of Clinical Nutrition |
| Volume | 85 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2007 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Effect of high-dose iron supplements on fractional zinc absorption and status in pregnant women. / Harvey, Linda J.; Dainty, Jack R.; Hollands, Wendy J.; Bull, Victoria J.; Hoogewerff, Jurian A.; Foxall, Robert J.; McAnena, Liadhan; Strain, J. J.; Fairweather-Tait, Susan J.
In: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85, No. 1, 01.01.2007, p. 131-136.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of high-dose iron supplements on fractional zinc absorption and status in pregnant women
AU - Harvey, Linda J.
AU - Dainty, Jack R.
AU - Hollands, Wendy J.
AU - Bull, Victoria J.
AU - Hoogewerff, Jurian A.
AU - Foxall, Robert J.
AU - McAnena, Liadhan
AU - Strain, J. J.
AU - Fairweather-Tait, Susan J.
PY - 2007/1/1
Y1 - 2007/1/1
N2 - Background: Women have an increased risk of iron deficiency during pregnancy because of the demands of the developing fetus. Iron supplements are commonly advocated as a prophylactic treatment and are generally taken with meals to reduce side effects, but iron can interfere with the absorption of zinc. Objective: The aim was to determine the effect of consuming an iron supplement (100 mg Fe/d as ferrous gluconate) with meals from 16 wk gestation to term on zinc status and absorption. Design: Stable-isotope techniques were used to measure zinc status (exchangeable zinc pool, EZP) and fractional zinc absorption (FZA) in early and late pregnancy from a meal consumed at a different time from that of iron supplement or placebo consumption in 6 women given iron supplements and 7 given a placebo. Results: FZA increased during pregnancy, independent of iron supplementation. FZA was significantly higher (P < 0.001) at week 34 than at weeks 16 and 24, and urinary zinc excretion was higher at week 34 than at week 16 (P = 0.02). The size of the EZP remained unchanged throughout pregnancy and was unaffected by iron supplementation. The iron status of iron-supplemented women was higher than that of the placebo group. Conclusions: In iron-replete pregnant women who consumed a Western diet, no detectable adverse effects on zinc metabolism were observed after ingestion of 100 mg Fe/d. An increase in the efficiency of zinc absorption was observed during late pregnancy.
AB - Background: Women have an increased risk of iron deficiency during pregnancy because of the demands of the developing fetus. Iron supplements are commonly advocated as a prophylactic treatment and are generally taken with meals to reduce side effects, but iron can interfere with the absorption of zinc. Objective: The aim was to determine the effect of consuming an iron supplement (100 mg Fe/d as ferrous gluconate) with meals from 16 wk gestation to term on zinc status and absorption. Design: Stable-isotope techniques were used to measure zinc status (exchangeable zinc pool, EZP) and fractional zinc absorption (FZA) in early and late pregnancy from a meal consumed at a different time from that of iron supplement or placebo consumption in 6 women given iron supplements and 7 given a placebo. Results: FZA increased during pregnancy, independent of iron supplementation. FZA was significantly higher (P < 0.001) at week 34 than at weeks 16 and 24, and urinary zinc excretion was higher at week 34 than at week 16 (P = 0.02). The size of the EZP remained unchanged throughout pregnancy and was unaffected by iron supplementation. The iron status of iron-supplemented women was higher than that of the placebo group. Conclusions: In iron-replete pregnant women who consumed a Western diet, no detectable adverse effects on zinc metabolism were observed after ingestion of 100 mg Fe/d. An increase in the efficiency of zinc absorption was observed during late pregnancy.
KW - Absorption
KW - Iron status
KW - Iron supplements
KW - Pregnancy
KW - Stable isotopes
KW - Women
KW - Zinc
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33846090757&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
VL - 85
SP - 131
EP - 136
JO - The Journal of clinical nutrition
JF - The Journal of clinical nutrition
SN - 0002-9165
IS - 1
ER -