National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, Bergen, Norway.
Nutr J. 2011 Aug 9;10:81. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-10-81.
Iron and zinc are essential micronutrients for humans and deficiency of the two elements is widespread in the world with the highest prevalence in less developed countries. There are few data on dietary intake of iron and zinc in Uganda, and no food composition table is available. There is hardly any widely published literature that clearly documents the quality of Ugandan children's diet. Thus information of both food intake and the concentration of these trace elements in local food ingredients are needed in order to assess daily intake.
The present study focused on the iron and zinc content in selected foods and intake of the micronutrients iron and zinc among schoolchildren in Kumi District, Uganda. Over a period of 4 weeks single 24-hour dietary recall interviews were carried out on a convenience sample of 178 schoolchildren (9-15 years old). Data from the dietary recalls was used when selecting foods for chemical analysis.
Results from this study showed that the iron concentrations varied, and were high in some cereals and vegetables. The zinc concentrations in foods generally corresponded with results from other African countries (Mali and Kenya). Data from the 24-hour dietary recall showed that the daily Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) was met for iron but not for zinc.
The schoolchildren of Kumi district had a predominantly vegetable based diet. Foods of animal origin were consumed occasionally. The iron content in the selected foods was high and variable, and higher than in similar ingredients from Kenya and Mali, while the zinc concentrations were generally in accordance with reported values. The total daily zinc (mg) intake does not meet the daily RNI. The iron intake is adequate according to RNI, but due to iron contamination and reduced bioavailability, RNI may not be met in a vegetable based diet. More studies are needed to investigate possible sources of contamination.
铁和锌是人类必需的微量元素，这两种元素在全世界都普遍缺乏，在欠发达国家中最为普遍。乌干达关于铁和锌的饮食摄入量的数据很少，也没有可用的食物成分表。几乎没有任何广泛发表的文献能够清楚地记录乌干达儿童的饮食质量。因此，为了评估日常摄入量，需要了解食物摄入量以及当地食物成分中这些微量元素的浓度信息。
本研究主要关注乌干达库米地区选定食物中的铁和锌含量以及学童对这些微量营养素的铁和锌摄入量。在 4 周的时间里，对库米区的 178 名学童（9-15 岁）进行了方便抽样的单次 24 小时饮食回忆访谈。当选择用于化学分析的食物时，使用饮食回忆数据。
这项研究的结果表明，铁浓度各不相同，一些谷物和蔬菜中的铁浓度较高。食物中的锌浓度通常与其他非洲国家（马里和肯尼亚）的结果相符。24 小时饮食回忆数据显示，铁的每日推荐营养素摄入量（RNI）得到满足，但锌的摄入量未达到 RNI。
库米区的学童饮食以蔬菜为主。偶尔会食用动物来源的食物。所选食物中的铁含量较高且变化较大，高于肯尼亚和马里类似成分的铁含量，而锌浓度通常与报告值一致。总锌（mg）日摄入量未达到 RNI。根据 RNI，铁的摄入量是充足的，但由于铁污染和生物利用率降低，以蔬菜为基础的饮食可能无法满足 RNI。需要进行更多的研究来调查可能的污染来源。
