Iron Absorption from Ferritin and Ferric Hydroxide

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Abstract
Ferritin and ferric hydroxide represent 2 forms of Fe which are less available for absorption than that present in the common pool of nonheme dietary Fe. The absorption of Fe from these 2 compounds was compared in 35 multiparous women when fed in water, in maize porridge and in maize porridge containing 100 mg ascorbic acid. The geometric mean absorption for 3 mg ferritin Fe was 0.7% and for ferric hydroxide, 2.4%. Comparable figures when fed with maize porridge were 0.4 and 0.4%, respectively. When 100 mg ascorbic acid was present in the porridge, absorption was enhanced from both sources, being 12.1% for ferritin and 10.5% for ferric hydroxide. The fraction of Fe in ferritin and ferric hydroxide that enters the common pool of nonheme dietary Fe was profoundly influenced by the nature of the diet. The greater the concentration of enhancing ligands, the closer the absorption of Fe from these compounds approximates that of the nonheme dietary Fe pool.