Bioavailability of Iron From Basella alba and Amaranthus hybridus Leaves Supplemented Diet in Iron Deficient Anaemic Albino Rats.
ABSTRACT
Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common form of micronutrient deficiency, especially in the developing countries. The bioavailability of iron from blanched and unblanched Basella alba.
Also, Amaranthus hybridus leaves supplemented diet in iron-deficient anaemic albino rats was investigated by determining vitamin C, antinutrients, speciation pattern of iron and effect of the leaves supplemented diet on serum ferritin and some haematological parameters using standard methods.
Forty eight young albino rats were divided into eight groups. After induction of anaemia by feeding with iron deficient diet and deionized water, diet supplementation was carried out for 21 days.
Amaranthus hybridus has a significantly (p<0.05) higher content of vitamin C (35 mg/100g), phytate (2.06 g/100g) and oxalate (89 mg/100g) than Basella alba.
Basella alba recorded a significantly (p<0.05) higher levels of Fe, Zn, Cu, Ca and Mg than Amaranthus hybridus. Blanching significantly (p<0.05) decreased the vitamin C, phytate, oxalate and mineral content of both Basella alba and Amaranthus hybridus.
Iron speciation pattern in the leaves showed that exchangeable and the residual forms of iron predominates over reducible and exchangeable in both leaves, which increased in B.alba but decreased in A.hybridus after blanching.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Anaemia is defined as a pathological process characterized by abnormally low haemoglobin (Hb) concentration in red blood cells, less than 13g/dl in male and 12g/dl in females (Okochi et al., 2003).
In developing countries, anaemia is a major contributory factor to maternal morbidity and mortality (Saeed, 1996).
Malaria, HIV/AIDS, hookworm infestation, schistosomiasis, and other infections such as tuberculosis are particularly important factors contributing to the high prevalence of anaemia in some areas (Adusi-Poku et al., 2008; WHO 2014).
In the tropics, due to endemicity of malaria, between 10 to 20% of the population presents less than 10g/dl of Hb (Diallo et al., 2008). However research has revealed that iron deficiency is the cause of most forms of anaemia (Viteri, 1993).
Iron deficiency is the single mostcommon nutritional deficiency and the major causeof anaemia, affecting more than 2 billion people worldwide.
It has a substantial effect on the lives of young children, women, postpartum and premenopausal women due to high irondemand during infant growth, pregnancy and loss of iron during menstruation.
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