Nutrition and Health in Developing Countries - Iron Deficiency Research Proposal

Nutrition and Health in Developing Countries - Iron Deficiency - Research Proposal Example Crucial studies have reported how a person’s body regulates iron absorption together with metabolism in response to changing iron status by ‘upregulation’ and ‘downregulation’ of key intestinal and hepatic proteins. The effective control of iron deficiency in population can be controlled by iron fortification of foods, target iron supplement, or both. In spite of the technical challenges limiting the number of bioavailable iron compounds, available for use in the fortification of food, studies show that iron fortification can be an effective strategy against nutritional iron deficiency. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency and a leading cause of anaemia in many countries. The terms anaemia, Iron deficiency, and iron deficiency anaemia are usually interchangeably used but they all fall under the same context. A severe iron deficiency with anaemia can affect the functioning of several body organs with devastating results. Iron deficiency is a concern because it can delay infant motor function (normal activity and movement) or the normal thinking and processing skills (mental function).Additionally, iron deficiency anaemia during pregnancy can increase the risk for small or early (preterm) babies, who are more likely to develop health problems or die in the first year of their lives than infants born full term and are small. Iron deficiency also causes fatigue which impairs the ability to do physical work in adults. In teens, it may also affect memory or other mental functions. 1) Iron Deficiency from Increased Iron Needs: Because of their rapid growth, infants and toddlers consume more iron than older children. More often, their normal diet offers them not enough iron. Pregnant women also have higher iron intake and needs. In this regard, health care providers often recommend iron supplements. Bleeding also causes the loose of iron, thus extra iron is needed to replace what has been lost. Increased blood loss can occur with heavy menstrual periods, frequent blood donation, as well as with stomach and intestinal conditions.