Objective To examine the effects of an iron biofortified pearl millet intervention on physical performance in children, measured by VO 2 max. Methods 135 children (11–18 y) were enrolled in a randomized trial of an iron biofortified pearl millet intervention (vs. control pearl millet), daily for a 6 month period in India. VO 2 max at baseline and end line was calculated from oxygen consumption and heart rate during a sub‐maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer. General linear models were used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on VO 2 max in children. Results At baseline 32% of subjects were iron deficient with serum transferrin receptor (sTfR) values above 8.0 mg/L. The average VO 2 max at baseline was 36.9 mL/kg/min for girls. After six months, there was a significant relationship between decreasing sTfR (improved iron status) and increased VO 2 max in the iron biofortified pearl millet group, but not in control group (P<0.01 and P=0.10, respectively). Conclusions Supplementation with iron biofortified pearl millet significantly improved VO 2 max in children. Grant Funding Source : HarvestPlus
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Pompano et al. (2013) studied this question.