2.3. Laboratory Measures
EL, inflammation
BLOOD, DISEASE, INFLAMMATION
At baseline (BL, prior to the start of the trial) and endline (EL, after 85 days), participants provided self-report measures of demographics and completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and anthropometrics. In addition, a 6 mL sample of venous blood was taken to assess the iron biomarkers. A blood sample was also taken at approximately day 42; those data were not used in the analyses reported here as there were no cognitive measures taken at that time.Venous blood samples were collected by a trained phlebotomist using lithium heparinized vacutainers following an aseptic procedure and using a disposable syringe and needle. Vacutainers were transported within 12 h of collection to the International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDRB), based in Dhaka. Serum samples were separated and stored at a temperature of 2–8 °C until they were analyzed. All BL blood samples were analyzed at the same time using the same procedures. Later, all EL samples were analyzed at the same time (at the end of the trial) using the same procedures. Blood measures included a complete blood count (CBC), which included measures of hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), red blood cell count (RBC), and white blood cell count (WBC). In addition, assays were performed for serum ferritin (sFt), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Values of sFt were adjusted when there was evidence for inflammation (CRP > 5 and WBC > 11.5) [Additional details of the laboratory assays are reported in [