Iron Contents in Rice Food Derived from the Iron Pot, and In Vitro Study Regarding Heme Oxygenase-1 Activity / 임상소아혈액종양

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Iron pots have long been used for cooking in several countries. Early studies have shown that the use of such iron pots can increase the iron content of food cooked in them and that this increased iron content has some effect on iron uptake. This study was designed to evaluate the iron content in rice cooked in a traditional iron pot and study the iron uptake by macrophages through heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). METHODS: The iron pot used in this study was round-shaped and had no legs. The iron content of rice cooked in the iron pot was measured. Thereafter, the bioavailability of iron was measured using western blot analysis. RESULTS: A total of 35 samples were analyzed for iron concentrations, which were 10.94±18.08 mg/L (range: 0.18–56.53 mg/L). The biochemical activity in most of materials was 1.5–9 times that of the activity observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: The iron concentration of rice cooked in iron pots were found to be relatively high. The introduction of iron pots in routine cooking practices may be a promising way of increasing the supply of iron, especially for people with severe iron deficiency anemia. Further, increased activity of HO-1, induced by supplementation of iron from the cast iron, may help in maintaining iron homeostasis.