Low-phytate wholegrain bread instead of high-phytate wholegrain bread in a total diet context did not improve iron status of healthy Swedish females: a 12-week, randomized, parallel-design intervention study.
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Clinical Nutrition Unit, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. michael.hoppe@nutrition.gu.se.
To investigate the effects of eating wholegrain rye bread with high or low amounts of phytate on iron status in women under free-living conditions.
In this 12-week, randomized, parallel-design intervention study, 102 females were allocated into two groups, a high-phytate-bread group or a low-phytate-bread group. These two groups were administered: 200 g of blanched wholegrain rye bread/day, or 200 g dephytinized wholegrain rye bread/day. The bread was administered in addition to their habitual daily diet. Iron status biomarkers and plasma alkylresorcinols were analyzed at baseline and post-intervention.
Fifty-five females completed the study. In the high-phytate-bread group (n?=?31) there was no change in any of the iron status biomarkers after 12 weeks of intervention (p?>?0.05). In the low-phytate bread group (n?=?24) there were significant decreases in both ferritin (mean?=?12%; from 32?±?7 to 27?±?6 µg/L, geometric mean?±?SEM, p?