Multiple micronutrient-fortified rice affects physical performance and plasma vitamin B-12 and homocysteine concentrations of Indian school children.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether rice fortified with multiple micronutrients, including Vitamin A, could improve micronutrient status, anemia prevalence, and physical/cognitive performance in school children.
Results Summary
The study found that <10% of children were deficient in Vitamin A at baseline, and no significant changes in Vitamin A status were observed after the intervention. The fortified rice improved vitamin B-12 status and physical performance but did not notably affect Vitamin A levels.
Population
6- to 12-year-old, low-income school children in Bangalore, India.
Effective Dosage
Not specified for Vitamin A (only iron concentrations: 6.25 mg or 12.5 mg).
Duration
6 months (6 days/week).
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
extruded rice grains fortified with multiple micronutrients with low-iron (6.25 mg) concentration | decrease | anemia prevalence | 6- to 12-y-old, low-income school children in Bangalore, India | small reduction | paired analyses revealed a small reduction | #1 |
extruded rice grains fortified with multiple micronutrients with high-iron (12.5 mg) concentration | decrease | anemia prevalence | 6- to 12-y-old, low-income school children in Bangalore, India | small reduction | paired analyses revealed a small reduction | #2 |
extruded rice grains fortified with multiple micronutrients | increase | plasma vitamin B-12 concentrations | 6- to 12-y-old, low-income school children in Bangalore, India | - | significantly improved | #3 |
extruded rice grains fortified with multiple micronutrients | decrease | homocysteine concentrations | 6- to 12-y-old, low-income school children in Bangalore, India | - | significantly improved | #4 |
extruded rice grains fortified with multiple micronutrients | increase | physical performance | 6- to 12-y-old, low-income school children in Bangalore, India | - | significantly improved | #5 |
extruded rice grains fortified with multiple micronutrients | no change | hemoglobin concentration | 6- to 12-y-old, low-income school children in Bangalore, India | no significant change | No between-group differences were observed | #6 |
extruded rice grains fortified with multiple micronutrients | no change | anemia | 6- to 12-y-old, low-income school children in Bangalore, India | no significant change | No between-group differences were observed | #7 |
extruded rice grains fortified with multiple micronutrients | no change | deficiencies of other micronutrients | 6- to 12-y-old, low-income school children in Bangalore, India | no significant change | No between-group differences were observed | #8 |
extruded rice grains fortified with multiple micronutrients | no change | cognitive function | 6- to 12-y-old, low-income school children in Bangalore, India | no significant change | No between-group differences were observed | #9 |
Fortifying rice with multiple micronutrients could be a promising strategy for combat micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries. We determined the efficacy of extruded rice grains fortified with multiple micronutrients on the prevalence of anemia, micronutrient status, and physical and cognitive performance in 6- to 12-y-old, low-income school children in Bangalore, India. In a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, 258 children were assigned to 1 of 3 intervention groups to receive rice-based lunch meals fortified with multiple micronutrients with either low-iron (6.25 mg) or high-iron (12.5 mg) concentrations or identical meals with unfortified rice. The meals were provided 6 d/wk for 6 mo. Anthropometric, biochemical, physical performance, and cognitive assessments were taken at baseline and endpoint. At baseline, study groups were comparable, with 61% of the children being anemic. However, only <10% were deficient in iron, vitamin A, and zinc. After 6 mo, plasma vitamin B-12 and homocysteine concentrations (both P < 0.001) as well as physical performance (P < 0.05) significantly improved in the intervention arms. No between-group differences were observed in hemoglobin concentration, anemia, and deficiencies of other micronutrients or cognitive function after 6 mo, but paired analyses revealed a small reduction in anemia prevalence in children in the low-iron group. The fortified rice was efficacious in improving vitamin B-12 status and physical performance in Indian school children.