HealthLink: New report on the iron status of Canadian adolescents and adults
The fall 2006 issue of the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research features a comprehensive overview of the iron status of Canadian adolescents and adults. Despite the abundance of iron-containing foods available to Canadians, poor iron intake and iron deficiency exist in Canada. Public education is recommended to ensure the consumption of adequate amounts of bioavailable iron and enhancing factors such as vitamin C. The report highlights population groups at risk, issues relevant to practice and strategies to improve iron status.
The most vulnerable population groups include women of childbearing age and teenage girls. Female adolescents who are vegetarian are at even greater risk. Studies have also shown iron deficiency and anemia are present in Canadian infants and children. The severe consequences of iron deficiency and anemia include reduced immune function and resistance to infection, adverse pregnancy outcomes, developmental delays and irreversible cognitive deficits in children and impaired physical work performance.
The authors emphasize that adequacy of dietary iron depends not only on total intake, but also on the proportions of heme and non-heme iron due to their differing bioavailability. They note that grain products, which provide non-heme iron, are now the main source of dietary iron intake for all age groups in Canada. While total iron intake is important, estimates of bioavailable dietary iron are a better predictor of a person’s iron status. The authors propose two key strategies to improve the iron status of high risk groups:
- Consuming meat, fish and poultry in line with Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating to improve bioavailable heme iron intake; and/or
- Consuming foods rich in vitamin C to increase the absorption of non-heme iron.
CONSUMER TIPS:
The heme iron found in meat, poultry and fish is better absorbed by your body than non-heme iron from plant foods. Eating meat, poultry and fish and vitamin C-rich foods, like fruits and vegetables, can also increase the amount of non-heme iron your body absorbs.
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