Effect of ascorbic acid rich, micro-nutrient fortified supplement on the iron bioavailability of ferric pyrophosphate from a milk based beverage in Indian school children.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Copper (Supplement), published as a randomized controlled trial.

Ferric pyrophosphate [Fe4(P2O7)3] is organoleptically neutral and is less soluble in acid medium and, further, has low bioavailability in milk.

However, since ascorbic acid is a potent enhancer of iron absorption, the coadministration of ascorbic acid with Fe4(P2O7)3 might enhance the absorption of iron.

The researchers evaluated the effect of ascorbic acid on iron absorption from a Fe4(P2O7)3 and an ascorbic acid fortified milk beverage with respect to milk fortified with Fe4(P2O7)3 alone.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 25 children were involved.

PubMed indexes the participants as children, both men and women.

A double-blind, two-way crossover, randomized study was conducted in 25 mildly anemic children.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind and crossover.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Copper (Supplement) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Blinding on both sides kept the children and researchers unaware of who received Copper (Supplement).

Each person switched between Copper (Supplement) and the comparison at some point, usually with a gap in between.

Fractional iron absorption was measured by erythrocyte incorporation of stable isotopes of iron (57Fe/58Fe) in both the groups.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Anemia, Ascorbic Acid, Beverages, Biological Availability, Dietary Supplements, Diphosphates and Food, Fortified.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and crossover study of Copper (Supplement) in 25 children.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Its findings take up roughly 3 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2018 (Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition), a journal based in China.

More context: the Copper (Supplement) compound page, all human trials.