Egg Yolk Protein Delays Recovery while Ovalbumin Is Useful in Recovery from Iron Deficiency Anemia.

Protein is a main nutrient involved in overall iron metabolism in vivo. In order to assess the prevention of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) by diet, it is necessary to confirm the influence of dietary protein, which coexists with iron, on iron bioavailability. We investigated the usefulness of the egg structural protein in recovery from IDA. Thirty-one female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into a control group (n = 6) fed a casein diet (4.0 mg Fe/100 g) for 42 days and an IDA model group (n = 25) created by feeding a low-iron casein diet (LI, 0.4 mg Fe/100 g) for 21 days and these IDA rats were fed normal iron diet with different proteins from eggs for another 21 days. The IDA rats were further divided into four subgroups depending on the proteins fed during the last 21 days, which were those with an egg white diet (LI-W, 4.0 mg Fe/100 g, n = 6), those with an ovalbumin diet (LI-A, 4.0 mg Fe/100 g, n = 7), those with an egg yolk-supplemented diet (LI-Y, 4.0 mg Fe/100 g, n = 6), and the rest with a casein diet (LI-C, 4.0 mg Fe/100 g, n = 6). In the LI-Y group, recovery of the hematocrit, hemoglobin, transferrin saturation level and the hepatic iron content were delayed compared to the other groups (p < 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, and 0.05, respectively), resulting in no recovery from IDA at the end of the experimental period. There were no significant differences in blood parameters in the LI-W and LI-A groups compared to the control group. The hepatic iron content of the LI-W and LI-A groups was higher than that of the LI-C group (p < 0.05). We found that egg white protein was useful for recovery from IDA and one of the efficacious components was ovalbumin, while egg yolk protein delayed recovery of IDA. This study demonstrates, therefore, that bioavailability of dietary iron varies depending on the source of dietary protein.

Acidic xylooligosaccharide preserves hepatic iron storage level in adult female rats fed a low-iron diet.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is one of the most serious forms of malnutrition. This experiment was conducted to investigate whether acidic xylooligosaccharide (U-XOS), expected to have a high iron bioavailability, was useful in the prevention of iron deficiency. Experiment 1: Nineteen female Sprague-Dawley rats (20 wk old) were fed three different diets for 28 d; a U-XOS-supplemented low-iron diet (LI-X, n=7), a low-iron diet (LI, n=6), and a control diet (C, n=6). On day 28, the LI-X and LI groups showed iron deficiency without anemia. A significant difference in the total and unsaturated iron binding capacity, and serum transferrin saturation level was shown in the LI-X and LI groups, compared with the C group. However, the decrease of hepatic iron content of the LI-X group was suppressed compared with the LI group. Experiment 2: Eleven male Sprague-Dawley rats (7 wk old) were fed a U-XOS-supplemented diet (X, n=5) or a control diet (C, n=6) for 7 d. No significant difference in body weight gain or food intake was demonstrated between the two groups; the apparent iron absorption rate of the X group increased clearly compared with that of the C group. These results suggested that a U-XOS diet could preserve storage of hepatic iron in adult female rats fed a low-iron diet and could prevent IDA by promotion of dietary iron absorption, inhibition of iron excretion, and/or improvement of iron bioavailability.