Iron is involved in many vital metabolic processes such as oxygen transport, electron transport in cells, DNA synthesis and repair, and muscle metabolism. However, iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia continue to affect many people, particularly preschool children (\<5 years), adolescents, and pregnant and non-pregnant women of childbearing age. Iron deficiency is characterized by a lack of total iron stores in the body, which is mainly caused by insufficient dietary iron intake, physiologically increased iron requirements, poor intestinal iron absorption, or chronic blood loss. Animal foods are important sources of highly bioavailable iron in the human diet. Meeting human nutritional needs for the rapidly increasing world population while targeting food production within the planetary boundaries will require the identification of sustainable iron sources, such as edible insects. A previous iron absorption study showed that insect iron is absorbed moderately well. The present study will examine if and to which extent chitin, a polysaccharide within the insect biomass, inhibits iron absorption. In addition, the enhancing iron absorption of ascorbic acid on iron absorption from Tenebrio molitor larvae will be studied. This knowledge can support to optimize the composition of an insect-based meal to increase its iron absorption.
To distinguish iron absorption from insect biomass from other sources, insects are labeled with stable iron isotopes (Fe-57, Fe-58, Fe-54) and iron absorption in the blood is measured.
Female aged between 18-45 years
Normal BMI (18.5 - 24.9 kg/m2)
Body weight < 70 kg
Low iron status (being in the lower half of the serum ferritin distribution at screening)
Anaemia (Hb < 12 g/dL)
Inflammation (CRP > 5.0 mg/L)
Pregnancy or intention to become pregnant during the study or within 30 days after the discontinuation of the study intervention
Lactating up to 6 weeks before the study initiation
Crossover
Meal A
Other interventionVegetable soup prepared with dried intrinsically labeled T.molitor (isotopic iron 57, native chitin content = 1g)
Meal B
Other interventionVegetable soup prepared with dried intrinsically labeled T.molitor (isotopic iron 57) + 2g of extrinsically added chitin
Meal C
Other interventionVegetable soup prepared with dried intrinsically labeled T.molitor (isotopic iron 57) + ascorbic acid (4:1 ascorbic acid to iron molar ratio)
Meal D
Other interventionVegetable soup without insects with extrinsic addition of FeSO4 (isotopic iron 58)
Meal E
Other interventionVegetable soup without insects with extrinsic addition of FeSO4 (isotopic iron 58) + 1g of extrinsically added chitin
Meal F
Other interventionVegetable soup without insects with extrinsic addition of FeSO4 (isotopic iron 58) + 3g of extrinsically added chitin
Meal G
Other interventionVegetable soup without insects with extrinsic addition of FeSO4 (isotopic iron 54) + ascorbic acid (4:1 ascorbic acid to iron molar ratio)
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Treatment groupsSee each treatment group below.
Fractional iron absorption
Fractional iron absorption will be calculated based on the shift in iron isotope ratio in red blood cells 14 to 16 days post administration of the isotopically labelled meals. Calculation of fractional iron absorption will take into account the principles of isotope dilution and the fact that iron isotopic labels are not monoisotopic.
Hemoglobin (Hb)
Iron status marker
Serum Ferritin (SF)
Iron status marker
Serum Transferrin Receptor (sTfR)
Iron status marker
C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
Inflammation status
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Swiss Distance University of Applied Sciences
Lead sponsor
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Collaborator
