TITLE:
Drinking Water as Iron Carrier for the Prevention of Iron Deficiency Anemia: The Brazilian Experience
AUTHORS:
Jose E. Dutra-de-Oliveira, Júlio S. Marchini, Joel Lamounier, Carlos A. N. de Almeida
KEYWORDS:
Iron Anemia; Iron Carrier; Control Anemia; Drinking Water Fortification; Community Studies and Support
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.5 No.9,
September
12,
2013
ABSTRACT: On a global base, estimated 2
billion people are iron deficient and/or anemic with small children and child
bearing age most likely to be the ones affected. These high levels of world
anemia prevalence have been maintained and even growing in spite of the global
and national food fortification programmes carried out in several places. These
have been based on the iron fortification of local foods. In Brazil a wheat
flour iron fortification program has been going on for several years and the
anemia prevalence has been going on as a still large public health
problem. We started since the nineties and in several under five day care
centers, in various part of Brazil a new program using drinking water as the
iron carrier for the prevention of iron deficiency anemia. It was shown through
several studies in different places in Brazil that
drinking water being available everywhere, daily consumed by everyone,
children, adults and old people have shown to be effective for the prevention of
iron anemia. Iron salts are low-priced, water soluble, effective, easily and
locally prepared, should be known and accepted as a rational, practical and
effective locally community preventive solution for iron anemia, still a great
problem of our developing and underdeveloped countries of the world.