| Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently appear iron deplete but whether this is a reflection of dietary iron intakes is not known.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Dietary data were collected from 29 patients with inactive or mildly-active IBD and 28 healthy controls using a validated food frequency questionnaire that measured intakes of iron and its absorption modifiers. Non-haem iron availability was estimated using a recently developed algorithm. Subjects were classified for iron status based upon data from a concomitant and separately published study of iron absorption. Absorption was used to define iron status because haematological parameters are flawed in assessing iron status in inflammatory conditions such as IBD.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Dietary intakes of total iron, non-haem iron and vitamin C were significantly greater in IBD patients who were iron replete compared to those who were iron deplete (by 48%, 48% and 94% respectively; <it>p</it>≤0.05). The predicted percentage of available non-haem iron did not differ between these groups (19.7 ± 2.0% <it>vs</it> 19.3 ± 2.0% respectively; <it>p</it>=0.25). However, because of the difference in iron intake, the overall amount of absorbed iron did (2.4 ± 0.8 mg/d <it>vs</it> 1.7 ± 0.5 mg/d; <it>p</it>=0.013). No such differences were observed in the healthy control subjects.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In IBD, iron status is more closely related to the quality and quantity of dietary iron intake than in the general healthy population.</p>
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