Gautam Chander Shekhar, Saha Lekha, Sekhri Kavita, Saha Pradip Kumar
Department of Pharmacology, Government Medical College and Hospital Sector 32.
Medscape J Med. 2008;10(12):283. Epub 2008 Dec 16.
Iron deficiency with its resultant anemia is probably the most widespread micronutrient deficiency in the world. Women who are pregnant or lactating and young children are the most affected, especially in the developing world. Despite that only 1 to 3 mg of absorbed iron is required daily at different stages of life, most diets remain deficient. Failure to include iron-rich foods in the diet and inappropriate dietary intake coupled with wide variation in bioavailability (based on the presence of iron absorption inhibitors in the diet) are some of the important factors responsible for iron deficiency. Iron supplementation can be targeted to high-risk groups (eg, pregnant women) and can be cost-effective. Iron fortification of food can prevent iron deficiency in at-risk populations. Selective plant breeding and genetic engineering are promising new approaches to improve dietary iron nutrition quality.
缺铁及其导致的贫血可能是世界上最普遍的微量营养素缺乏症。孕妇、哺乳期妇女和幼儿受影响最大，尤其是在发展中世界。尽管在生命的不同阶段每天仅需1至3毫克的吸收铁，但大多数饮食仍然缺乏铁。饮食中未包含富含铁的食物、不适当的饮食摄入以及生物利用率的广泛差异（基于饮食中铁吸收抑制剂的存在）是导致缺铁的一些重要因素。铁补充剂可以针对高危人群（如孕妇），并且具有成本效益。食品铁强化可以预防高危人群的缺铁。选择性植物育种和基因工程是提高膳食铁营养质量的有前景的新方法。
