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Interventions and public health nutrition

Polyphenol-rich tea decreases iron absorption from fortified wheat bread in Senegalese mother–child pairs and bioavailability of ferrous fumarate is sharply lower in children

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 74, pages 1221–1228 (2020)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives

Fractional iron absorption (FAFe) from ferrous fumarate (FeFum) and ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) in adults is generally comparable. While FeFum is commonly used to fortify infant foods, FAFe from FeFum in young children and infants may be decreased compared with FeSO4 and this effect has not been assessed in inhibitory vs noninhibitory meals. Previous studies also reported FAFe to be strongly correlated in mother–child pairs. Our objective was to measure FAFe from fortified bread labeled with 58FeSO4 and 57FeFum in mother–child pairs with and without a commonly consumed herbal tea of Combretum micranthum (Tisane Kinkéliba, TK).

Methods

Senegalese mother–child pairs (n = 17) were randomly assigned to receive, in a 2 × 2 factorial design, fortified bread with 58FeSO4 or 57FeFum consumed with TK or water. FAFe was assessed by measuring erythrocyte incorporation of stable iron-isotopes 14 days after administration.

Results

In children, relative bioavailability (RBV) from FeFum was 51 and 64% compared with FeSO4 when served with TK or water (both, P < 0.05). In mothers, the presence of TK decreased FAFe by 56% (P < 0.05) and 50% (P = 0.077) and in children by 65 and 72% (both, P < 0.0001), in the meals with 58FeSO4 and 57FeFum, respectively. After adjustment for plasma ferritin, there was a positive correlation between FAFe in mothers and children (r = 0.4142, P = 0.001).

Conclusions

In Senegalese women and children, herbal tea decreased FAFe from a wheat-based meal. The RBV of FeFum was low in children but not in their mothers. FAFe was modestly correlated in mother–child pairs, possibly due to shared genetic, epigenetic or environmental background.

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Fig. 1: Iron absorption in first degree relatives.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the women and children for their participation in the study, Dr Mamadou Sadji, Abdou Badiane, Ndèye Ndambao Sarr for their assistance.

Funding

This work was supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), by the Comité Sénégalais pour la Fortification des Aliments en Micronutriments (COSFAM), by the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche du Sénégal and Laboratory of Human Nutrition, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Nutrition, Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal

    Ndèye Fatou Ndiaye, Nicole Idohou-Dossou, Adama Diouf, Amadou Tidiane Guiro & Salimata Wade

  2. Institut de Technologie Alimentaire de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal

    Ndèye Fatou Ndiaye

  3. Laboratory of Human Nutrition, Institute of Food Nutrition and Health, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Simone Bürkli, Michael Bruce Zimmermann & Diego Moretti

  4. Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal

    Cheikh Loucoubar

  5. Human Nutrition, Department of Health, Swiss Distant University of Applied Sciences, Regensdorf/Zürich, Switzerland

    Diego Moretti

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  1. Ndèye Fatou Ndiaye
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Contributions

All the authors contributed to the study design, data analysis, and writing of the paper. NFN, NID, SB, AD, and DM carried out the field work, and CZ was responsible for the stable isotope analysis. CL participated in the statistical analysis. NFN and DM wrote the first draft of the paper. NFN and DM had primary responsibility for the final content and all authors contributed to its editing.

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Correspondence to Ndèye Fatou Ndiaye.

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Ndiaye, N.F., Idohou-Dossou, N., Bürkli, S. et al. Polyphenol-rich tea decreases iron absorption from fortified wheat bread in Senegalese mother–child pairs and bioavailability of ferrous fumarate is sharply lower in children. Eur J Clin Nutr 74, 1221–1228 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-020-0601-z

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