HERE鈥橲 something to chew over. Iron supplements in nanoparticle form might have fewer side effects than those currently available.
Anaemia is the most common nutritional disorder in the world, hindering red blood cells鈥� ability to carry oxygen. As a result, many people take oral iron supplements. These contain soluble iron, but this can react adversely with chemicals and bacteria in the gut, causing constipation and diarrhoea.
team at the Medical Research Council鈥檚 Human Nutrition Research group in Cambridge, UK, wondered if iron nanoparticles would avoid this, because they are absorbed by cells in a different way that means none of the reactive form is left in the gut.
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Having confirmed that nano-iron is non-toxic in cell and mouse experiments, the team tested five different formulations on 26 pre-menopausal women. The one that worked best was 80 per cent as effective as standard supplements in replenishing haemoglobin, but with no side effects (Nanomedicine, ).
The next step is to do larger trials of a wider range of people.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淚ron supplements could go nano鈥�
