TABLE 3.
Summary of study results of the legume food–based iron intervention studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries1
| Author | Outcome indicators | Results |
|---|---|---|
| Abizari et al., 2012 (23) | sTFR, Hb, SF | Prevalence of inflammation in both groups reduced from baseline by 80% |
| Prevalence of ID and IDA | Significant increases in Hb*, SF***, sTFR***, and BI*** stores reported in improved compared with nonimproved legume group | |
| 30% and 47% reduction in ID and IDA prevalence, respectively, in improved relative to nonimproved legume group (P < 0.05) at the end of the intervention | ||
| Schümann et al., 2005 (24) | Hb, SF | No differences between increases in Hb and SF concentrations in the bean intervention groups (P > 0.05) from baseline to 5 wk, and from baseline to 10 wk |
| Haas et al., 2016 (27) | Hb, SF, CRP, AGP, BI | Significant changes in Hb***, ferritin+, log serum ferritin*, and BI* were observed from baseline to endline over 128 d |
| No significant effect on change in untransformed serum ferritin and sTFR concentration | ||
| Murray-Kolb et al., 2017 (28) | Hb, SF, sTFR, BI | Higher increases in mean Hb*** concentration over time, SF+ concentration, and increase in BI* in improved bean group were seen at the end of the 128-d intervention |
| Cognitive tests | Significant main effect for improved bean group seen for all outcomes from memory-related CRT and SMS | |
| Wenger et al., 2019 (29) | Concurrent EEG | Improvements in iron status produced changes in brain activity |
| Petry et al., 2014 (9) | Hb, PF, CRP | No treatment effects were seen for Hb, CRP, and BMI |
| Both bean variety and PA had an impact on Fe bioavailability | ||
| Significant differences in mean fractional iron absorption*** and iron absorption* between improved and nonimproved bean groups | ||
| Petry et al., 2016 (26) | Fractional iron absorption, Hb, PF, CRP, isotopic composition | Fractional iron absorption and total amount of iron did not differ between the improved bean groups (high iron content and low phytic acid) |
| Total amount of iron absorbed** was significantly higher in improved compared with nonimproved bean groups | ||
| Hb, CRP, PF, and BMI did not change during the study | ||
| Gastrointestinal side effects in the first 2 d of consumption in improved bean group | ||
| Finkelstein et al., 2019 (30) | Hb, SF, sTFR, BI | sTFR+ and BI+ improved in all groups from baseline to endline |
| No significant improved bean effects on Hb, SF, anemia, ID, or inflammation outcomes |
1
+ P < 0.1; *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001. AGP, α1-acid glycoprotein; BI, body iron; CRP, C-reactive protein; CRT, cued recognition task; EEG, electroencephalography; Hb, hemoglobin; ID, iron deficiency; IDA, iron deficiency anemia; PF, plasma ferritin; SF, serum ferritin; SMS, Sternberg memory search; sTFR, soluble transferrin receptor.