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Effects of Level and Saturation of Fat and Iron Level and Type in the Diet on Iron Absorption and Utilization by the Rat¹

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, ND 58202

Two 2 x 2 x 2 factorial studies were done to examine the effects of dietary iron level (10 or 35 ppm), percent dietary fat (5 or 30%) and type of fat (safflower or coconut oil) on heme or nonheme iron absorption and other indices of iron status in rats (liver Fe, Hb, Hb). Rats were made moderately anemic (Hb 7.8 ± 0.7 g/dL) by feeding an iron-deficient diet and were then fed one of the 16 experimental diets. Test meals (100 µg Fe) labeled with ⁵⁹Fe were fed after 5 d and ⁵⁹Fe absorption determined by whole-body counting. Rats were killed after 5 wk and liver Fe, final Hb and Hb were determined. Nonheme iron was better absorbed than heme iron regardless of other dietary factors. Both heme iron absorption and nonheme iron absorption were higher when high (30%) rather than low (5%) dietary fat was fed. The type of fat had no effect. Rats fed both nonheme and heme iron had significantly higher Hb, Hb and liver iron when fed coconut oil, compared to safflower oil. Rats fed nonheme iron had higher liver Fe, but not Hb or Hb, when fed high rather than low dietary fat. Rats fed heme iron had higher Hb, Hb and liver Fe when fed high fat than low fat.

KEY WORDS: • iron absorption • dietary fat • heme iron

¹ Mention of a trademark or proprietary product does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable.

Manuscript received 24 September 1985. Revision accepted 15 October 1986.