ASSESSING IRON BIOAVAILABILITY FROM COMMERCIAL SUPPLEMENTS CONTAINING IRON

Iron deficiency affects up to 70% of the world's population. Iron supplementation is one approach for controlling this global problem. The objective of this study was to compare iron bioavailability among commercial micronutrient and iron supplements. An in vitro cell model (Caco-2) was used in this study. Micronutrient or iron supplements were subjected to an in vitro digestion and presented to the Caco-2 cells, a mammalian intestinal cell line. The formation of cell ferritin, which is an index of iron bioavailability, was quantified; values were normalized using cell protein. Among the four supplements tested with ferrous fumarate as the iron source, iron supplement F and the micronutrient supplement C demonstrated higher iron uptake in Caco-2 cells, relative to micronutrient supplements A or B. Among five iron supplements, a commercial ferrous gluconate source demonstrated higher Caco-2 cell iron uptake than brands D (heme and non-heme iron), E (carbonyl iron), F (ferrous fumarate) or G (ferrous sulfate). Ferrous gluconate was the most effective supplement for providing iron, as determined by the in vitro Caco-2 cell culture assay.