Reducing and preventing iron deficiency anaemia
Iron deficiency anaemia arises when a person's diet lacks adequate iron, leading to serious health complications.
Problem
Solution
One promising strategy for preventing or reducing iron deficiency anaemia is through food fortification. This approach involves enriching staple foods—such as rice, milk, edible oil, salt, and flour—with essential micronutrients to combat iron deficiency anaemia on a large scale.
Extensive research has shown that fortifying wheat flour, in particular, can significantly lower rates of iron deficiency anaemia.
These studies highlight remarkable improvements in haemoglobin levels and overall health among populations that consume fortified flour regularly.
Additionally, fortification is proven to be:
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Highly cost-effective, as adding micronutrients to food is inexpensive.
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Scalable, as fortification can be seamlessly integrated by existing food producers and distributors without requiring consumers to make significant changes to their eating habits.
In India, the government has long championed this approach, beginning with the iodisation of salt in the early 1960s. The central government actively promotes fortification across states, encouraging its integration into safety-net programs and urging open-market manufacturers to fortify their products, ensuring broader access to nutrient-rich foods.
Evidence
Numerous studies demonstrate the impact of fortification. Fortification is recognised as one of the most cost-effective public health measures by the World Health Assembly.
In a resolution adopted in May 2023, delegates at the World Health Assembly described large-scale food fortification as
‘a powerful, evidence-informed and cost-effective intervention to fight the consequences of vitamin and mineral deficiencies’.
In India, an RCT in 2012 found that food fortification reduced iron deficiency rates among students from 62% to 21%.
A global meta-analysis of several studies from 2021 found that consumption of iron-fortified wheat flour reduced rates of anaemia by 27%, and prior studies have indicated rates as high as 41%.
There is moderate evidence that strategies to reduce anaemia through fortification have resulted in an increase in IQ points in primary-age school children.
In India, this condition is a pervasive public health crisis, affecting over 52% of pregnant women and 67% of young children.
Severe long-term impacts include impaired cognitive and physical development, poor reproductive outcomes, a higher risk of depression, and diminished work capacity.
This widespread micronutrient deficiency not only harms the lives of children and pregnant women but also affects economic progress in the long term.
Non-profit partner
Impactful Giving partners with Fortify Health, a non-profit organisation committed to combating iron deficiency anaemia in India.
Fortify Health enables the fortification of wheat flour (chakki atta) with essential micronutrients like iron, folic acid, and Vitamin B12—recognised to be a highly cost-effective and evidence-based solution to combating anaemia. Read more about Fortify Health here.
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