Micronutrient deficiencies affect approximately 2 billion people worldwide and iron deficiency anemia is one of them. The instant research was an attempt to determine the efficacy of co-administration of two iron fortificants (NaFeEDTA and FeSO4) and inulin (a prebiotic) on serum iron, ferritin, transferrin, and total iron-binding capacity in iron-deficient female Sprague Dawley rats. For this research, rats were divided into ten groups, (two control and eight treatment groups). Treatment groups were made iron deficient by feeding them with triapine, an iron binder for two weeks. All treatment groups were fed with inulin at two different dosage levels along with iron fortificants. The study results showed that serum ferritin and serum iron levels significantly improved from initiation to termination of study. Also, mean values of total iron-binding capacity and serum transferrin showed a steady decline over a period of three months indicating that iron stores were being improved. It was concluded that co-administration of inulin and iron fortificants helped improve iron deficiency biomarkers in female Sprague Dawley rats.
Keywords: Inulin; Iron Deficiency; Iron Fortificants; Micronutrient deficiencies; Serum Ferritin; Serum Iron.
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