Nonradioisotopic method for measuring iron absorption from a Gambian meal.

Iron absorption from a typical Gambian meal of rice with groundnut sauce was measured by the fecal balance technique in nonanemic adult males with 58Fe as an extrinsic label and neutron activation analysis and compared with ferrous sulphate. Gambian men had a higher efficiency of absorption than UK volunteers but the availability of the food Fe was approximately half that of ferrous sulphate in both groups of subjects.