Iron bioavailability of rats fed liver, lentil, spinach and their mixtures

Pak J Biol Sci. 2009 Feb 15;12(4):367-72. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2009.367.372.

Abstract

To study the effects of dietary iron source (basal diet-FeSO4 x 7H2O, liver, lentil, spinach, liver + lentil, liver+spinach and lentil+spinach) on iron bioavailability, fifty-six Albino Sprague Dawley derived male 21 days old rats were fed on iron-deficient diet (7.8 mg Fe kg(-1) diet) and the mentioned seven iron containing diets (40 mg Fe kg(-1) diet) for 10 days. Rats fed liver diet showed higher iron apparent absorption (52.1%), hemoglobin (Hb) gain (0.94 g/100 mL), Hb-iron gain (1.2 mg), Hb-regeneration efficiency (HRE%) (50.8%), relative efficiency of HRE% (106.5%), packed cell volume gain (2.22%) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (0.64 g dL(-1)). Liver resulted in an increase in these parameters when mixed with lentil and spinach diets. However, rats fed iron free diet showed the higher dry matter absorption.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Availability
  • Diet
  • Food*
  • Hemoglobins / metabolism
  • Iron, Dietary / metabolism*
  • Lens Plant* / chemistry
  • Lens Plant* / metabolism
  • Liver* / chemistry
  • Liver* / metabolism
  • Male
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Spinacia oleracea* / chemistry
  • Spinacia oleracea* / metabolism

Substances

  • Hemoglobins
  • Iron, Dietary