Iron Nutriture and Related Dietary Factors in Apparently Healthy Young Korean Women(2) : Analysis of Iron in Major Food Items and Assessment of Intake and Availability of Dietary Iron

우리나라 젊은 성인 여성의 철분영양상태와 이에 영향을 미치는 식이요인 분석 (2) : 주요 식품의 철분 분석과 철분 섭취량 및 이용율 평가

The iron content of 178 food items were analyzed by ICP to provide database to calculate dietary intake of iron in Korea. The analysis data showed significant deviations of iron contents in some food items compared with Food Composition Table of KRNI which is most widely used at present. Three day dietary intake records were collected from 96 female college students to estimate mean daily iron intake and bioavailability of dietary iron. Mean daily intake of total iron in the study subjects was 13.2mg and heme iron intake was 0.94mg, 6.7% of total iron intake. BGioavailability of dietary iron was calculated by two methods. Total absorbable iron was calculated by the method of Monsen, body iron storage of the subjects being estimated with serum ferritin concentrations, was 1.21mg and bioavailability of dietary iron was thus 9.3%. Bioavailability calculated with the method by Hallberg was 11.22%. Two values of dietary iron bioavailability of the present study are lower than the reported values in adult women consuming typical western diets but within the range estimated for vegetarians. Considering high prevalence of iron deficiency based on serum ferritin concentrations and low bioavailability of diet in young adult Korean women, more efforts should be made to increase the content and bioavailability of iron in diet of Korea adult women.