Improves the Levels of Micronutrients in the Blood
1. School study
Children in another 3 residential schools received just iodised salt which was used in cooking all their meals for 9 months.
Hemoglobin, serum ferritin (SF), serum transferrin receptor (sTfR), serum retinol, serum vitamin B12, serum folic acid, serum zinc, and urinary iodine (UI) were measured before the study and after 9 months of usage of the given salts in the children.
There was a significant improvement in all these parameters in the children who consumed the multiple micronutrient enriched salt.
The micronutrients from the multiple micronutrient enriched salt are absorbed and there is improvement of the levels of all these micronutrients in the blood in the children who consumed the multiple micronutrient enriched salt.
2. Community study
This was a community study in rural villages in Tamilnadu to study the impact of multiple micronutrient salt (micronutrient group) in comparison with nutrition education (education group) and no intervention (control group) in reducing micronutrient deficiencies.
The multiple micronutrient fortified salt was given to the households in the micronutrient group. Nutrition education was given to the Education group.There was no intervention in the control group.
Parameters tested in children in the age group 5-15 years were haemoglobin,serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, body iron stores, serum retinol and urinary iodine outcomes, over a period of 8 months. The fortified salt contained iron, iodine, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and folic acid.
There was a significant improvement in most biochemical parameters studied in the micronutrient group when compared with the control group whereas this was not seen between the education and control. Over 8 months, in the micronutrient group, hemoglobin increased by 0.52 g/dL, retinol by 8.56 μg/dL, ferritin by 10.8 μg/dL, body iron stores by 1.27 mg and the decrease in the prevalence of retinol deficiency was from 51.6% to 28.1%, anaemia from 46.0% to 32.6%, iron deficiency from 66.9% to 51.3% and iron deficiency anaemia from 35.2% to 31.0%, while the prevalence of all these deficiencies increased or the changes were not significant in the other two groups.
Multiple micronutrient fortified salt was able to improve the micronutrient status, whereas this was not seen in the nutrition education group or the control group.
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