Aging is an event with measurable changes at molecular, cellular, physiological, and psychological level. Individual nutritional needs may change in response to progressive loss of efficiency within organ systems. Thus, elderly people are more likely than young adults to be at high risk of nutritional deficiency.Iron de?ciency (ID) is the most common nutritional de?ciency disorder in the world, de?ned as a lack of body iron stores, and usually caused by inadequate absorption and/or excessive iron losses. In elderly people, anaemia may be caused by a number of individual or combined factors, including poor diet, reduced ef?ciency of iron absorption, occult blood loss, medications, and chronic disease. Its high frequency among people more than 65 years old is thus a significant problem.Iron forti?cation of foods can control iron de?ciency in populations. In the present study, a group of elderly people with iron deficiency were supplemented with fruit based deserts fortified with iron. To follow the patient's ongoing treatment with time and to assess the efficacy of supplementation, the levels of iron in hair were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).Hair samples from the group with ID were collected, sample preparation was optimized with respect to sample size and digestion of hair keratin matrix. A wide panel of elements were determined, and the results were validated and compared with two reference materials: IAEA-086 for hair and SRM 1548a for food supplements.The results obtained in the present work validate the use of hair together with ICP-MS analysis as a good approach to study the efficiency of food iron fortification in the treatment of diseases associated with the iron deficiency like anaemia.

Evaluation of the effect of food iron fortification by ICP-MS on hair samples of elderly people with iron deficiency

248th National Meeting (2014)

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