Question 3
Question 3: Due to the fact that there is only a single program in place targeting iron deficiency (the soy sauce intervention project) what other types of intervention would you recommend to improve the overall iron status of the Chinese?
posted by Anonymous @ 6:04 PM
16 comments
16 Comments:
Tofu's health benefits and relatively low cost to consumers leads me to believe that recommending the consumption of this product would greatly improve the iron status among the people of China. Health fairs and cooking demonstrations utilizing tofu recipes may be a good idea to help with ideas regarding new ways to eat tofu and hopefully help to reduce iron deficiency anemia.
Other interventions need to be created to decrease the prevalence of anemia in China. The population needs to be informed more about anemia and how it can be prevented/treated. Marketing towards the general public and influencing the intake of soy and other iron fortified foods is important for the overall health of these people. Dietitians need to be recommending iron rich food in this area to help decrease the occurrence of anemia.
-Sam
Nutrition education programs should be put in place to inform the people how important it is to eat a varried diet in order to intake enough vitamins and minerals.
Fortifying traditional foods with iron, like we fortify cereal in the US, will increase iron intakes. The cuisine of the Chinese all ready includes several high iron containing foods, such as pork, lamb, soy, rice, etc.
More research needs to be conducted on the content of Chinese diets and why the Chinese people are unusually iron deficient. Could it be a genetic factor? or could it possibly be that something else that is commonly found in their diet is interferring with iron absorption?
Carrie,
Great observation regarding a possible genetic factor and/or another Chinese diet staple interfering with iron absorption. More research definitely needs to be done in this area in the future.
Carrie-
I agree that nutrition education is key. I liked how you mentioned the benefits of fortifying foods with iron like we do here in the U.S. More research could help us answer a lot of these questions and provide us with more evidence that is needed.
Educators that want to create new programs to help the Chinese population could focus on other foods that are big parts of their diet. Then they could combine that efforts with the soy sauce efforts and make a stronger impact. Also just general education about the disease might be a route to consider. If you don't know about anemia you can't purchase foods to prevent it.
Carrie,
I like your idea of looking deeper into the problem, is it a genetic factor or something else in their diet that binds the iron. We know that consuming vitamin C can help with absorption so this could also be another fact to incorporate into the education of the people.
Educating the people on ways to increase iron in there diet should be the first approach to decreasing the number of anemic individuals in China. In addition of adding soy sauce to the Chinese diet, China could be fortifying more of the main foods with iron. This would be one way of increasing iron intake without the population even knowing it is happening.
Supplementation into other widely used products may be a good option. Also something like WIC where consumers are given vouchers for specific iron containing foods is a possibility. Education is key, public service announcements, etc....I don't really know how that works in China, but it might work here.
Carrie,
I like the genetic thing. Are Chinese Americans also more likely to be iron deficient? I know that compounds in Tea chelate iron, making it difficult to absorb. Typically, we think of asian diets being high in tea, and consumed with meals which would interfere with iron absorption.
Emily
I am really glad the soy sauce people are putting the information out there, others need to jump on the band wagon. Iron is very available and all people really need is education regarding it. Once the women were given other options of how to consume iron they were ready to add it to their diet. Fliers, brochures, PSA's, health spots focusing on anemia; anything to get the message out about how to prevent it would be beneficial.
Susan
The big thing would be educating the Chinese people on the importance of consuming iron in their diet. If many of them don't know iron deficiency is a problem, they won't be conscious of eating foods high in iron. Alongside educational programs, the markets can advertise high iron foods so people are more aware and more likely to purchase them.
Carrie,
I liked the fact that you pointed out other things to consider as to why the chinese people are iron deficient. It may not be their diet but a genetic factor like you mentioned.
Meredith
Emily,
You brought up a very good point about the tea. Tea is such a large part of the Chinese diet, that it could be considered for having a significant impact on iron absorption, especially if these people are not consuming enough iron-containing foods to begin with. It seems like it could be a combination of genetic and dietary factors, as most instances turn out to be.
Emily,
The tea chelating the iron is a good point that you brought up. This could be a reason why so many Chinese are low in iron.
One intervention could be one to promote a balanced diet overall. Another could be to work with manufacturer's and get them to iron-fortify more foods (similar to the folate fortification that happened in the U.S.).
Myra
Post a Comment
<< Home