Joy, Edward J. M., Kalimbira, Alexander A., Sturgess, Joanna, Banda, Leonard, Chiutsi-Phiri, Gabriella, Manase, Hastings, Gondwe, Jellita, Ferguson, Elaine L., Kalumikiza, Zione, Bailey, Elizabeth H., and others. (2022) Biofortified Maize Improves Selenium Status of Women and Children in a Rural Community in Malawi: Results of the Addressing Hidden Hunger With Agronomy Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8 . Article Number 788096. ISSN 2296-861X. (doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.788096) (KAR id:105891)
|
PDF
Publisher pdf
Language: English 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
|
|
|
Download this file (PDF/2MB) |
Preview |
| Request a format suitable for use with assistive technology e.g. a screenreader | |
| Official URL: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.788096 |
|
Abstract
Background: Selenium deficiency is widespread in the Malawi population. The selenium concentration in maize, the staple food crop of Malawi, can be increased by applying selenium-enriched fertilizers. It is unknown whether this strategy, called agronomic biofortification, is effective at alleviating selenium deficiency.
Objectives: The aim of the Addressing Hidden Hunger with Agronomy (AHHA) trial was to determine whether consumption of maize flour, agronomically-biofortified with selenium, affected the serum selenium concentrations of women, and children in a rural community setting.
Design: An individually-randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial was conducted in rural Malawi. Participants were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive either intervention maize flour biofortified with selenium through application of selenium fertilizer, or control maize flour not biofortified with selenium. Participant households received enough flour to meet the typical consumption of all household members (330 g capita−1 day−1) for a period of 8 weeks. Baseline and endline serum selenium concentration (the primary outcome) was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
Results: One woman of reproductive age (WRA) and one school-aged child (SAC) from each of 180 households were recruited and households were randomized to each group. The baseline demographic and socioeconomic status of participants were well-balanced between arms. No serious adverse events were reported. In the intervention arm, mean (standard deviation) serum selenium concentration increased over the intervention period from 57.6 (17.0) μg L−1 (n = 88) to 107.9 (16.4) μg L−1 (n = 88) among WRA and from 46.4 (14.8) μg L−1 (n = 86) to 97.1 (16.0) μg L−1 (n = 88) among SAC. There was no evidence of change in serum selenium concentration in the control groups.
Conclusion: Consumption of maize flour biofortified through application of selenium-enriched fertilizer increased selenium status in this community providing strong proof of principle that agronomic biofortification could be an effective approach to address selenium deficiency in Malawi and similar settings
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| DOI/Identification number: | 10.3389/fnut.2021.788096 |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences |
| Divisions: | Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research > Centre for Health Services Studies |
| Funders: | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (https://ror.org/0456r8d26) |
| Depositing User: | Maja Niksic |
| Date Deposited: | 08 May 2024 09:46 UTC |
| Last Modified: | 05 Nov 2024 13:11 UTC |
| Resource URI: | https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/105891 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes) |
University of Kent Author Information
Niksic, Maja.
| Creator's ORCID: |
 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3101-4953
|
|---|---|
| CReDIT Contributor Roles: |
- Link to SensusAccess
- Export to:
- RefWorks
- EPrints3 XML
- BibTeX
- CSV
- Depositors only (login required):
Altmetric
Altmetric
