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In many low-income countries, iron deficiency (ID) and its anemia (IDA) pose significant health challenges, particularly among women and girls. Finding sustainable and effective solutions to address this issue is critical. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of incorporating iron-fortified lentils (IFLs) into the diets of rural Bangladeshi adolescent girls on their body iron (Fe) status. A community-based, double-blind, cluster-randomized controlled trial involved n=1195 girls aged 10-17 years. 48 adolescent clubs (n= ∼ 27 girls each) were randomized into three groups: 1) 200 g cooked IFLs, 2) 200 g cooked non-iron fortified lentils (NIFLs), and 3) a control group with no lentils (usual dietary intake). The intervention, administered five days a week for 85 feeding days, provided ∼8.625 mg of Fe from each serving of IFLs and 2.625 mg from NIFLs. Blood samples collected at baseline, midpoint (42 feeding days) and endpoint (85 feeding days) assessed key Fe and inflammation biomarkers. Statistical analyses were filtered for inflammation.. While all groups experienced a decline in Fe status over time, the IFL group exhibited a significantly reduced decline in serum ferritin (sFer -7.2 μg/L), and total body iron level (TBI -0.48 mg/kg) compared to NIFL (sFer -14.3 μg/L and TBI -1.36 mg/kg) and usual intake group (sFer -12.8 μg/L and TBI -1.33 mg/kg). Additionally, those in the IFL group had a 57% reduced risk of developing clinical ID (sFer <15 μg/L) compared to usual intake group. Our findings suggest that incorporating IFLs into the diet can help mitigate a decline in sFer, indicating a positive impact on the body Fe status of adolescent girls. This research underscores the potential role of fortified foods in addressing ID and IDA in vulnerable populations, emphasizing the significance of food-based interventions in public health. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03516734. Registered on 24 May 2018. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03516734?locStr=Bangladesh&country=Bangladesh&distance=50&cond=Anemia&intr=Iron%20fortified%20lentils&rank=1
Yunus et al. (Wed,) studied this question.