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The G277S transferrin mutation does not affect iron absorption in iron deficient women

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Abstract

Background

Iron deficiency anaemia is one of the most important nutritional diseases, with high prevalence worldwide. The G277S transferrin mutation has been implicated as a risk factor for iron deficiency in menstruating women. However, the subject is controversial and there are no data concerning the possible influence of this polymorphism on iron absorption.

Aim of the study

To undertake a pilot study to investigate the effect of carrying the G277S transferrin mutation on non-haem iron absorption from a meal in young menstruating women compared to wild-type controls.

Methods

Menstruating women with low iron stores (serum ferritin < 30 µg/l) or who had suffered from iron deficiency anaemia or had a family history of anaemia were recruited (n = 162). Haematological parameters were analysed, including haemoglobin, ferritin, total-iron binding capacity and transferrin saturation. Non-haem iron absorption from a meal was measured in 25 non-anaemic women either with the G277S/G277G (n = 10) or the wild type G277G/G277G (n = 15) genotype. The incorporation of stable isotopes of iron into erythrocytes was used to measure absorption.

Results and Conclusions

There were no significant differences in iron status indices or non-haem iron absorption between genotypes. However, G277S carriers did not show the usual inverse association between iron stores and non-haem iron absorption. Further studies should focus on the effects of a combination of polymorphisms in iron metabolism genes on iron absorption.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by EU (MERG-CT-2003-506368) and Spanish (AGL 2002-04411-C02-01 ALI) projects and a Comunidad de Madrid FPI fellowship.

The authors are grateful to all volunteers who took part in this study, and thank Jack Dainty for his calculations and scientific advice, Jurian Hoogewerff for stable isotope analysis and Angeles Carbajal, Camino García-Fernández and Trinidad García-Arias, for providing the meal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Metabolism and Nutrition, Instituto del Frio, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), C/ Jose Antonio Novais 10., 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Beatriz Sarria, Santiago Navas-Carretero, Ana M. Perez-Granados & M. Pilar Vaquero

  2. Laboratory of Forensic and Population Genetics, Dept. of Toxicology and Health Legislation, Medicine Faculty, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain

    Ana M. Lopez-Parra & Eduardo Arroyo-Pardo

  3. Institute of Food Research, Norwich, UK

    Mark A. Roe, Birgit Teucher & Susan J. Fairweather-Tait

Authors
  1. Beatriz Sarria
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  2. Santiago Navas-Carretero
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  3. Ana M. Lopez-Parra
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  4. Ana M. Perez-Granados
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  5. Eduardo Arroyo-Pardo
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  6. Mark A. Roe
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  7. Birgit Teucher
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  8. M. Pilar Vaquero
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  9. Susan J. Fairweather-Tait
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Pilar Vaquero.

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Sarria, B., Navas-Carretero, S., Lopez-Parra, A.M. et al. The G277S transferrin mutation does not affect iron absorption in iron deficient women. Eur J Nutr 46, 57–60 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-006-0631-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-006-0631-x

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