Millet fortified with iron, zinc does not harm toddlers’ gut health, study finds
A study involving researchers from India and the U.S. found that iron- and zinc-fortified pearl millets do not negatively impact the gut microbiome of toddlers. This suggests a viable food-based strategy to combat iron deficiency in children.
Why it matters
Bio-fortified crops could provide a safer, more sustainable alternative to traditional iron supplements for addressing global childhood malnutrition.
Researchers across two continents may have given an iron-and-zinc boost for India’s Millets Mission, launched as a concept in 2007 and taken forward a decade later.
Nutrition and health specialists in India and the U.S. conducted a nine-month study among toddlers in Mumbai’s urban slums. They found that iron- and zinc-fortified pearl millets fed to these toddlers during the study period did not cause detectable harmful changes to the developing gut microbiome, offering a potentially safer option to combat iron deficiency.
The gut microbiome is a collection of trillions of helpful and harmful microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi living inside the digestive tract, particularly the large intestine.
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