Introduction
Protein deficiency, anemia
NUTRITIONAL PROBLEM, PROTEIN DEFICIENCY, IRON DEFICIENCY, ANEMIA, IRON DEFICIENCY
Iron deficiency is a common global health and nutritional problem. Although the condition is a concern in developing countries, iron deficiency also occurs in some developed countries, particularly among women and children. The World Health Organization estimates the anemia prevalence among non-pregnant women aged 15–49 to be 33% in low- and middle-income countries. While the prevalence is lower in high-income countries, in 2019, 14% of women in such countries were also anemic [Dietary iron is mainly absorbed via transporters located on duodenal and upper jejunal enterocyte apical surfaces. Once iron enters the blood circulation, it binds to transferrin and is transported to tissues for iron-containing protein synthesis. Ferritin is an iron-storage protein that can be measured in serum. Low serum ferritin is indicative of iron store deficiencies. An imbalance between iron intake, utilization, and loss occurs when there is an iron deficiency. Ferritin and hemoglobin blood levels decrease with an increased transferrin level, measured as unsaturated iron-binding capacity (UIBC) and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC).Some studies have suggested an important relationship between dietary iron intake and the prevalence of iron deficiency [Previous studies have reported an association between dietary protein and iron deficiency. Protein deficiency causes reduced erythropoiesis [We hypothesized that amino acids, particularly methionine and threonine, play a vital role for a rapid improvement of iron status, by enhancing the absorption and utilization of iron. In this randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, comparative study in healthy young women, we therefore aimed to understand the effect of ingestion of methionine and threonine in combination with low doses of iron on blood parameters related to iron status, during the short intervention period of 6 weeks, by comparing this to the ingestion of iron alone.