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Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI107545

Food Iron Absorption in Man APPLICATIONS OF THE TWO-POOL EXTRINSIC TAG METHOD TO MEASURE HEME AND NONHEME IRON ABSORPTION FROM THE WHOLE DIET

Erik Björn-Rasmussen, Leif Hallberg, Björn Isaksson, and Bertil Arvidsson

Department of Medicine II, Institute of Clinical Nutrition, University of Göteborg, Sahlgrenska Sjukhuset, Göteborg, Sweden

Department of Radiation Physics, University of Göteborg, Sahlgrenska Sjukhuset, Göteborg, Sweden

Find articles by Björn-Rasmussen, E. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine II, Institute of Clinical Nutrition, University of Göteborg, Sahlgrenska Sjukhuset, Göteborg, Sweden

Department of Radiation Physics, University of Göteborg, Sahlgrenska Sjukhuset, Göteborg, Sweden

Find articles by Hallberg, L. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine II, Institute of Clinical Nutrition, University of Göteborg, Sahlgrenska Sjukhuset, Göteborg, Sweden

Department of Radiation Physics, University of Göteborg, Sahlgrenska Sjukhuset, Göteborg, Sweden

Find articles by Isaksson, B. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Department of Medicine II, Institute of Clinical Nutrition, University of Göteborg, Sahlgrenska Sjukhuset, Göteborg, Sweden

Department of Radiation Physics, University of Göteborg, Sahlgrenska Sjukhuset, Göteborg, Sweden

Find articles by Arvidsson, B. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Published January 1, 1974 - More info

Published in Volume 53, Issue 1 on January 1, 1974
J Clin Invest. 1974;53(1):247–255. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI107545.
© 1974 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published January 1, 1974 - Version history
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Abstract

A new radioisotope method to measure iron absorption from the whole diet was used in this study. The method is based on the concept that food iron is absorbed from two pools, the heme iron pool and the nonheme iron pool, which can be especially labeled with two radioiron isotopes given as hemoglobin and as an iron salt. The purpose of this study was to test the accuracy of this two-pool extrinsic tag method.

The meals served were composed as an average of 6 wk consumption in the present material of 32 young enlisted men. The mean and total heme and nonheme iron absorption in all the 32 young men was 1.01±0.11. This figure agrees well with the mean daily losses expected for this group of subjects (1.0 mg). The conclusion can therefore be made that there are no major systematic errors of the present method to measure the total iron absorption from a mixed diet.

In one series a comparison was made of the absorption of heme and nonheme iron from the meals. A significant correlation between the absorption of the two kinds of iron was found. However, a much greater fraction of the heme iron was absorbed (37%) than of the nonheme iron (5%).

The absorption both from breakfast and lunch was in two series found to give a good prediction of the total daily nonheme iron absorption. One series was designed to compare the effect of two levels of iron fortification. There was a significant increase in iron absorption when the level of iron fortification of the meals was increased.

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