Consumption of Iron-Biofortified Beans Positively Affects Cognitive Performance in 18- to 27-Year-Old Rwandan Female College Students in an 18-Week Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial

Abstract

Background: Evidence shows that iron deficiency in adulthood may affect cognitive performance, possibly by disrupting neurotransmitter regulation or brain energy metabolism. Women of reproductive age (WRA) are among those who are most vulnerable to iron deficiency; however, they have been largely ignored in the literature relating iron status to cognition.Objective: Our aim was to determine the efficacy of iron-biofortified beans in improving cognition in WRA compared with control beans.Methods: A double-blind, randomized intervention study was conducted in 150 women aged 18–27 y with low iron status (ferritin <20 μg/L). Women were randomly assigned to consume iron-biofortified beans (86.1 ppm iron) or control beans (50.1 ppm iron) daily for 18 wk. Iron status was assessed based on hemoglobin, ferritin, transferrin receptor, and body iron values and on cognitive performance on 5 computerized tasks at baseline and endline.Results: Groups did not differ on any variables at baseline. Per protocol analyses revealed that consumption of the biofortified beans resulted in a 17% larger improvement in the speed of spatial selective attention; a nearly 7-fold larger improvement in the speed, a 68% greater improvement in the efficiency, and a >2-fold greater improvement in the specificity of memory retrieval; and a >2-fold larger improvement in the speed and a >3-fold larger improvement in the efficiency of memory search—all of which are relative to consumption of the control beans (P < 0.01 for all comparisons).Conclusions: Cognitive performance is sensitive to iron status, and consumption of iron-biofortified beans for 18 wk improved cognitive performance, especially the efficiency of search and the speed of retrieval on memory tasks, in young adult women. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01594359.

Genome-Wide Association Study of Resistance to Bean Fly and Population Structure of Market Classes of Common Bean

“…Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most essential grain legume for human diets, particularly in eastern and southern Africa as well as Latin America where it is a major staple food (Broughton et al, 2003;Petry et al, 2015). It is principally important as a major source of protein and micronutrients for resource disadvantaged smallholder farmers in eastern, southern and parts of central Africa (Murray-Kolb et al, 2017;Petry et al, 2015). Because of this, bean breeding programs in sub-Saharan Africa have directed efforts to develop and release new varieties for enhanced production and nutritional value that are adapted to target agro-ecologies and resilient to climate change (Blair et al, 2010a;Buruchara et al, 2011;Kamfwa et al, 2015;Kimani et al, 2001).…”

Scaling‐up biofortified beans high in iron and zinc through the school‐feeding program: A sensory acceptance study with schoolchildren from two departments in southwest Colombia

“…A recent randomized controlled trial among Rwandan women demonstrated significantly improved iron statuses after consuming biofortified iron beans as part of a plant‐based diet for duration of 128 days, supporting the efficacy of the intervention (Haas et al., ). In addition, improved cognitive performance was demonstrated in the women who had consumed biofortified iron beans (Murray‐Kolb et al., ). These women, however, consumed 300–350 g beans daily under ideal feeding conditions, while the majority of our population eats beans on a weekly basis.…”

Biofortified crops for tackling micronutrient deficiencies – what impact are these having in developing countries and could they be of relevance within Europe?

“…Cognitive performance was measured in a subsection of the women ( n = 150), using five measures of functioning thought to be dependent on iron status (Murray‐Kolb et al . ). Baseline measures did not differ between the two groups.…”

“…) and one study suggests improvements in cognitive performance (Murray‐Kolb et al . ). Interestingly, a meta‐analysis including three studies (measuring the efficacy of iron rice in the Philippines after 9 months, iron pearl millet in India after 6 months, and iron beans in Rwanda after 4.5 months) found that, overall, iron‐biofortified crops significantly increased serum ferritin (by 1.1 μg/l) and total body iron (by 0.43 mg/kg) but there were no significant effects on haemoglobin, compared with standard crops (Finkelstein et al .…”