RESUMEN
Iron absorption in the presence of varying amounts and sizes of dietary fiber was measured. A method using non-everted rat intestinal segments perfused in oxygen was refined. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF), a component of dietary fiber, was extracted from cooked pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). The NDF did not affect iron absorption in intestinal segments from iron replete rats. However, 4 and 6 mg of NDF/ml significantly decreased iron absorption in the intestinal segments from anemic rats. NDF with a smaller particle size of 0.125 mm increased iron absorption relative to that absorbed with 0.180 mm particles. Histological examination validated using non-everted intestinal segments perfused with oxygen as a method for studying dietary effects on iron absorption. Segments which are not everted are less prone to damage. Perfusion with oxygen maintained metabolic activity in the tissue during the experiment.
RESUMEN
The effect of tannin content on iron (Fe) bioavailability from several legumes was evaluated. Absorption of Fe from a casein (C), isolated soy protein (ISP), chickpea (CP) or red kidney bean (RKB) test meal was tested in marginally Fe-deficient rats [9.9 +/- 0.2 g Hb/100 mL (mean +/- SD)] using the extrinsic tag technique. Also, the effects of a casein habitual diet or of one of three casein-legume habitual diets fed before and after the test meal were investigated. Weanling male rats were fed the habitual diets containing 23 +/- 4 mg Fe/kg of diet (range 17-28) for 13 d. On d 14, after an overnight fast, rats were fed the test meal (1.5 g + 0.1 microCi 59Fe), and whole-body radioactivity was determined. The same habitual diet was refed for seven additional days, and whole-body radioactivity was determined again. Rats retained more iron from C (86%) than from ISP, CP or RKB test meals (73%, 75% and 67%, respectively) when the respective casein-legume habitual diets were fed before and after the test meals. With the casein habitual diet, there was no difference in retained iron from C, ISP, CP or RKB test meals (86%, 87%, 83% and 82%, respectively). Retention of iron from an RKB test meal was increased from 69.6 to 73% when about 90% of the extractable tannins were removed, but the difference was not statistically significant. Thus, feeding a casein-legume diet but not a casein diet prior to a test meal apparently predisposes the rat to lower iron absorption. However, in these studies, tannins per se did not significantly depress iron bioavailability.