Evaluation of haemoglobin cut-off for mild anaemia in Asians - analysis of multiple rounds of two national nutrition surveys

Background & objectives: The haemoglobin (Hb) cut-off is a single value for all populations. It is possible that different populations might have slightly different cut-off values; but, this needs to be evaluated in healthy populations with low possibility of inadequate dietary intakes of haematopoietic nutrients. This study was conducted to assess the existence of race-specific Hb cut-offs for mild anaemia in healthy populations and their potential implications. Methods: In this study the Hb distributions of healthy White, Black, Mexican and Hispanic and Asian non-pregnant women obtained from nine rounds of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and two rounds of National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), was examined to check the existence of race-specific Hb cut-off for mild anaemia, by standard statistical methods. Results: The mean Hb of Blacks, Mexicans and Hispanics and Asians were lower than Whites, consistent with previous literature. The Hb cut-off for mild anaemia in Asians was lower at 11.22 g/dl. Interpretation & conclusions: Using the Hb cut-off derived in this study in place of the World Health Organization, cut-off of 12 g/dl would result in a 17.9 per cent decrease in the prevalence of anaemia in India. This points to the need for re-examining race-specific cut-off for mild anaemia and points to the need for alternative methods, perhaps linked to risk of unhealthy outcomes.

Protein quality & amino acid requirements in relation to needs in India

The relevance of protein and its constituent amino acids (AAs) in the structure and function of the human body is well known. Accumulating evidence has conferred specific functional and regulatory roles for individual AAs, adding relevance to their requirements across different age groups. The methods for measuring AA requirements have progressed from the classical nitrogen balance to the current stable isotope-based AA balance methods. Requirements of most of the indispensable AA (IAA) have been estimated in healthy Indian population by the best available balance method and has shown to be higher than earlier 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU (World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization/United Nations University) recommendations. In addition, potential changes in the requirement, through adaptation to chronic undernutrition or to infection, have also been evaluated. In 2007, the WHO/FAO/UNU released a recommendation that increased the daily IAA requirement, based on primary evidence from Indian balance studies. This meant that to ensure that the new IAA requirements were met, individual foods or mixed diets needed to be assessed for their protein quality, or their ability to deliver the required amount of IAA. The recent FAO report on protein quality evaluation recommends the use of a new chemical AA score, the digestible IAA score (DIAAS), to replace the earlier protein digestibility corrected AA score. The DIAAS requires the determination of individual AA digestibility at the ileal level. A minimally invasive dual stable isotope tracer-based approach has been developed in India and has been used to determine digestibility of various foods in Indian adults and children. The increase in IAA requirements and subsequent protein quality requirements have implications for national regulatory frameworks, growth and development, and in turn, for economic and agricultural policy.

Current Practice of Iron doses for Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anaemia - A Review

Although functional impairment begins with iron deficiency in the absence of anaemia, the development of anaemia heralds a homeostatic dysfunction that impairs daily activity. Iron deficiency anaemia is often the reason for poor physical performance, maternal and child morbidity and referral to a healthcare professional. (1) Women in their reproductive years, pregnant women and children are most vulnerable to develop iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and will be the focus of this review.

Guidelines for iron supplementation for Prophylaxis of Anemia in a National Programme - A Review

Recent National Family Health Survey-4 data shows that anaemia continues to be a major public health problem in India. In India much of the anaemia is due to iron deficiency, and women and children are at the greatest risk of anaemia. TheMinistry of Health and Family Welfare took a policy decision, in 2013, to develop the National Iron+ Initiative (NIPI) to address the prevailing iron deficiency anaemia. This initiative covered pregnant and lactating women, children and adolescents. However, the guidelines do not match the current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for prevention of iron deficiency anaemia in these population groups. The background evidence for the WHO and NIPI is thus reviewed to come to a common consensus on the optimum recommendation of iron supplementation for the population, while taking into consideration the feasibility of the program, without burdening the groups with iron over-dose. However, from the present review, there is a need for increased number of trials in India that could qualify for a high grade of evidence to support the guidelines of NIPI.

Point of Care Haemoglobin Estimation

The prevalence of anemia in India is still unacceptably high at 53.1 % in non-pregnant women, 50.3% in pregnant women, 58.4% in children 6 months and 22.7% in adult men(1) and remains a major public health problem. For screening, tracking as well as monitoring the progress of anemia in both in primary and community health care for public health programs, hemoglobin needs to be estimated accurately.