Antenatal Iron-Rich Food Intervention Prevents Iron-Deficiency Anemia but Does Not Affect Serum Hepcidin in Pregnant Women

Limited evidence supports the efficacy of iron-rich foods (IRFs) in improving iron status during pregnancy. The study aims to evaluate the effect of IRFs on iron status and biomarkers of iron metabolism in the third trimester of pregnancy. A total of 240 pregnant women at 11–13 wk of gestation without iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in South China were recruited to this single-blind clinical trial [non-IDA referred to both hemoglobin (Hb) ≥110g/L and serum ferritin (SF) ≥15ng/mL], randomly assigned to 1) control, 2) IRFs containing 20 mg iron/d (IRF-20), or 3) IRFs containing 40 mg iron/d (IRF-40). The IRFs were consumed 3 days a week, including pork liver, chicken/duck blood, soybean, and agaric. The IRFs started at recruitment and ended in the predelivery room. Primary outcome included anemia (Hb