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Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Iron, folic acid can be lethal in malaria
By Zosimo T. Literatus, R.M.T.
Breakthroughs
Not all dietary minerals are good for the body, and sometimes not in certain diseases. In malarial infection, malaria makes iron and folic acid supplementation lethal to young children.
In a recent study, led by Robert Black, iron and folic acid supplementation in children had increased the risk of hospitalization for severe disease or death. Black is a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA.
In the study, Black and colleagues randomly assigned over 24,000 children, ages one to 35 months from the malaria-infested Pemba and Zanzibar, to receive an iron and folic acid, or iron, folic acid, and zinc, or placebo. Pemba and Zanzibar are islands in the United Republic of Tanzania, located in the Indian Ocean.
The iron and folic-acid group (with or without zinc) in the clinical trial were stopped early because the risk of hospitalizations among the participants for severe disease or death had increased by 12 percent. The researchers found that only children with iron deficiency anemia benefited from the iron-folic acid supplementation.
In a parallel trial, also led by Black and James Tielsch (from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore), daily supplementation with iron and folic acid (with or without zinc) had no effect on their risk of death. The study involved over 25,000 children, ages one to 36 months from Nepal , an area of low malaria transmission. Both results are published in the January issue of The Lancet.
“In the presence of an active program to detect and treat malaria and other infections, iron deficient and anemic children can benefit from supplementation,” Black concludes. “However, supplementation of those who are not iron deficient might be harmful.”
Supplementation is generally safe, but not as safe as simply buying the pills over the counter or preparing herbal soup. You need to know what you are doing. Otherwise, you would be paying for what ills or kills you, as in the case with malaria and iron/folic acid supplements. Always check with competent physicians if you have doubts. (For comments and suggestions, email to ztliteratus6046@lycos.com.)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 19, 2006 issue)
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