CGIAR - Washington D.C., July 19, 2016 – A new study published in The Journal of Nutrition has found that daily consumption of meals with beans conventionally bred to be richer in iron help prevent and reverse iron deficiency in young Rwandan women in just four-and-a-half months.  

Iron deficiency is one of the commonest micronutrient deficiencies in the world, impacting women, children, and infants most severely. Lack of iron can impair cognitive and physical development. Severe anemia, often caused by iron deficiency, increases risks to women during childbirth, and can cause death. Despite efforts to curb iron deficiency through supplements and fortified foods, iron deficiency remains the most widespread nutrition deficiency, affecting an estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide.

For this study, 239 iron-deficient Rwandan women between the ages of 18 and 27 participated in a double-blind randomized efficacy trial. One group ate iron beans while the control group ate the local common variety. Both groups ate between 150-175 grams (wet weight) of cooked beans for lunch and dinner for 18 weeks. Each meal consisted of beans, two sides (usually potatoes, rice, or cassava), a green leafy vegetable, and a tomato-based sauce. No meat was served during the trial. The study found that the estimated body iron increase was 0.50 milligrams per kilogram higher than in the control group.

“In this study we see a significant reduction in iron deficiency and also an increase in hemoglobin levels of women who ate iron beans,” said Jere Haas, lead scientist on the study. “All consumers have to do is to replace the common variety of beans with more nutritious biofortified varieties.”

This is the first time that the effect of iron beans on anemia and iron deficiency has been shown in published research. It adds to a growing literature on the efficacy of biofortified crops. An earlier study in India showed that pearl millet bred to be richer in iron was able to reverse iron deficiency in school-aged children within six months. Another efficacy study in the Philippines showed modest improvement in iron levels of women who ate iron-rich rice.

See http://harvestplus.org/knowledge-market/in-the-news/biofortified-beans-reverses-iron-deficiency-women