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Sesame Jaggery Ball Supplementation as a Dietary Adjunct Therapy in Treating Moderate Iron Deficiency Anemia Among Children Aged 6-11 Years in South India: An Open-Labeled Randomized Controlled Trial.

Indian journal of hematology & blood transfusion : an official journal of Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion
April 1, 2025
Yenduri Naimisha et al. (4 authors)
Journal ArticleHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether adding sesame jaggery balls to routine oral iron syrup improves iron status in children with moderate iron deficiency anemia.

Results Summary

The intervention group showed statistically significant greater increases in hemoglobin, serum ferritin, and body weight compared to the control group receiving only iron syrup. The results suggest that sesame jaggery balls enhance iron supplementation efficacy.

Population

Indian children aged 6-11 years with moderate iron deficiency anemia.

Effective Dosage

3 mg/kg/day elemental iron syrup + one sesame jaggery ball (60g sesame seeds and 60g jaggery) daily.

Duration

8 weeks

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (9)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
oral iron syrup (3 mg/kg/day elemental iron)
increase
hemoglobin (Hb) levels
children aged 6-11 years diagnosed with moderate iron deficiency anemia
0.8 (0.4, 1.2) median increase at 4 weeks
increased
#1
oral iron syrup (3 mg/kg/day elemental iron)
increase
hemoglobin (Hb) levels
children aged 6-11 years diagnosed with moderate iron deficiency anemia
1.3 (0.6, 2.0) median increase at 8 weeks
increased
#2
oral iron syrup (3 mg/kg/day elemental iron)
increase
serum ferritin levels
children aged 6-11 years diagnosed with moderate iron deficiency anemia
6.2 (4.6, 13.3) median increase at 8 weeks
increased
#3
oral iron syrup (3 mg/kg/day elemental iron)
increase
body weight
children aged 6-11 years diagnosed with moderate iron deficiency anemia
0.1 (-0.4, 0.6) median increase at 8 weeks
increased
#4
oral iron syrup (3 mg/kg/day elemental iron) plus one sesame jaggery ball (containing 60 g of sesame seeds and jaggery each)
increase
hemoglobin (Hb) levels
children aged 6-11 years diagnosed with moderate iron deficiency anemia
0.9 (0.6, 1.5) median increase at 4 weeks
increased
#5
oral iron syrup (3 mg/kg/day elemental iron) plus one sesame jaggery ball (containing 60 g of sesame seeds and jaggery each)
increase
hemoglobin (Hb) levels
children aged 6-11 years diagnosed with moderate iron deficiency anemia
1.7 (1.0, 2.4) median increase at 8 weeks
increased
#6
oral iron syrup (3 mg/kg/day elemental iron) plus one sesame jaggery ball (containing 60 g of sesame seeds and jaggery each)
increase
serum ferritin levels
children aged 6-11 years diagnosed with moderate iron deficiency anemia
10.7 (6.4, 16.7) median increase at 8 weeks
increased
#7
oral iron syrup (3 mg/kg/day elemental iron) plus one sesame jaggery ball (containing 60 g of sesame seeds and jaggery each)
increase
body weight
children aged 6-11 years diagnosed with moderate iron deficiency anemia
0.8 (0.3, 1.4) median increase at 8 weeks
increased
#8
daily supplementation of sesame jaggery balls
increase
iron status
moderate iron-deficient anemic children
-
improves
#9
Abstract

The prevalence of iron deficient anemia in Indian children has continued to be high for decades, despite drastic measures. Natural food dietary diversification with foodstuffs prepared at home using locally available ingredients could be helpful to counter childhood anemia. In this open-labelled randomized controlled trial, 82 consecutive children aged 6-11 years diagnosed with moderate iron deficiency anemia were randomized into two groups. Children in the control group received 3 mg/kg/day of elemental iron orally in a syrup form, for eight weeks. In addition to the oral iron syrup in the same dose, the intervention group received one sesame jaggery ball (containing 60 g of sesame seeds and jaggery each) for eight weeks. The increases in hemoglobin (Hb) at 4 and 8 weeks were estimated as the primary outcomes. The increases in serum ferritin and body weight at eight weeks were measured as the secondary outcomes. The increase in the median Hb levels of the intervention group at four weeks [0.9 (0.6, 1.5) Vs 0.8 (0.4, 1.2), p-0.045] and eight weeks [1.7 (1.0, 2.4) Vs 1.3 (0.6, 2.0), p-0.013] were statistically more significant than the control group. Likewise, the increase in the serum ferritin levels [10.7 (6.4, 16.7) Vs 6.2 (4.6, 13.3), p-0.015] and body weight [0.8 (0.3, 1.4) Vs 0.1 (-0.4, 0.6)] in the intervention group were significantly more than in the control group. Besides routine oral iron syrup, daily supplementation of sesame jaggery balls in moderate iron-deficient anemic children improves their iron status.

Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations1
Citations/Year1.0
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
Weight Score1.34
Normalized Score0.69
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