Bioavailability of Iron in the Regional Basic Diet (RBD) with Dietary Supplement in Brazil

Abstract

The consumption of the regional basic diet (RBD) determines a state of malnutrition found in the low-income population of Northeastern Brazil. A dietary supplement known as multimixture has been used as an alternative source of iron in food for the prevention and/or treatment of anemia and for the recovery from malnutrition. The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the bioavailability of iron in the RBD supplemented with multimixture in iron-depleted and non-depleted Wistar rats. To produce iron depletion in the animals, pretest depletion diets without iron and the pretest control diet based on the AIN-93 diet were used for 8 weeks. This phase was followed by the test diets: control, AIN-93 extrinsically labeled with (59)FeCl(3); RBD, containing carioca beans intrinsically labeled with (59)Fe; and RBDMM, RBD plus multimixture, supplied in a single meal. Hemoglobin concentration, weight gain, and dietary intake were determined in the pretest phase. Iron bioavailability was determined by the determination of total-body radiation in the animals for 7 days, using a solid scintillation detector. The hemoglobin concentration, weight gain, and dietary intake were greater in the non-depleted animals than in the iron-depleted ones. The iron bioavailability of the diets did not differ significantly. It was concluded that the multimixture did not affect the bioavailability of Fe contained in the beans of the RBD.

Impact of acute undernutrition on growth, ileal morphology and nutrient transport in a murine model

“…The control group was fed a standard diet (Biotec ® , Brazil) while the experimental undernourished group was fed the RBD diet. The RBD diet was developed at the Laboratório de Farmacotécnica, Universidade Federal do Ceará, as previously described ( 8 , 9 ). The composition of these diets is shown in Figure 1 .…”

“…The regional basic diet (RBD) is an experimental rodent diet based on the nutritional intake of the northeastern Brazilian population and is characterized by a deficit of protein, fat and minerals, which trigger some clinical symptoms of kwashiorkor and stunting, commonly reported in this population ( 8 , 9 ). Some studies have used the RBD in mouse models of undernutrition ( 10 – 12 ).…”

Animal Models of Undernutrition and Enteropathy as Tools for Assessment of Nutritional Intervention.

“…Regional Basic Diet (RBD) is an experimental rodent diet mimicking dietary pattern from the northeast Brazilian population, characterized by reduced protein (7%), fat (8.2%), and vitamins and minerals content, triggering clinical symptoms such as reduced weight gain in rats [56,57], which has been confirmed in later studies [32,33,58]. Three weeks of this RBD in weaned mice induced jejunal hyperpermeability [32], which was related to a decreased jejunal expression of the tight junction protein claudin-3 [32].…”