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SummaryThis paper examines the development of iron (Fe)deficiency and its possible interactions with trace elements such as zinc IZn) and copper (Cu) by investigating iron-deficient and control rats. The effects of iron deficiency were studied at day 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 in rats fed on an iron-free diet (diet ID). It was found that the critical period in the development of nutritional iron deficiency occurs after 30 to 40 days without iron supplementation. At this time the organism is unable to maintain haemoglobin levels without endangering the iron-dependent enzymatic groups which are essential for life. It was also demonstrated that in a situation of iron deficiency, there occurs a greater absorption of copper, while that of zinc remains unchanged. As iron deficiency progresses, the levels of copper in the spleen and the sternum increase. It is apparent that iron deficiency provokes more marked alterations in the metabolism of copper than of zinc.

This article examines the evolution of nutritional iron deficiency and the possible interactions with other minerals, such as manganese, in control and iron-deficient rats. The evolution of iron deficiency was studied at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 days of providing the animals with an iron-free diet (diet 0). It was found that the critical period in the development of nutritional iron deficiency occurs after 30–40 days without iron, at which moment the organism is unable to maintain hemoglobin levels without endangering the iron-dependent enzymatic groups which, in turn, are essential for life. It was also demonstrated that in a situation of iron deficiency, there occurs a greater absorption of manganese. It should be noted that this greater absorption of manganese is not reflected in the concentration of the mineral in the organs. Therefore, it is evident that the interactions of iron with manganese take place at the digestive level with no apparent consequences being observed at the metabolic level.

We studied the influence of a commercial cereal-based diet supplemented with bovine blood on Fe, Ca, P, and Mg metabolism in control and Fe-deficient rats to investigate the interactions caused by high levels of dietary Fe and whether heme Fe supplementation could reduce these interactions. After feeding Fe-deficient rats with a diet that contained 100 mg of Fe/kg as elemental Fe, the digestive and metabolic utilization of Ca, P, and Mg decreased, whereas the sternum concentration of these minerals increased in comparison with control rats fed the same diet. Nevertheless, when cereal-based diet was supplemented with heme Fe, no decrease in Ca or Mg absorption was found in Fe-deficient rats. Keywords: Cereal; heme; iron; milk