Iron absorption from brown rice/brown rice-based meal and milled rice/milled rice-based meal

Background Milled rice is the staple food among Filipinos and is mostly consumed three times a day. Rice as a source of iron could therefore have an important role in the existing 37% prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia in the country. Previous iron absorption studies in Filipinos from rice and rice-based meals were carried out on milled rice but no research was done on brown rice of the same variety. This leads to the hypothesis that brown rice may be better than milled rice in terms of iron content.Objective To determine iron absorption from brown rice and brown rice-based meal, and from milled rice and milled rice-based meal of the same variety.Methods The rice variety used in the study was F2 seeds of PSB Rc72H. Iron absorption from brown/milled rice and brown/milled rice-based meals was determined in 12 healthy human subjects from the incorporation of radioisotopes of iron into erythrocytes 14 days after administration of the labeled rice/rice-based meals. The above samples were also analyzed for nu...