pearl millet for iron deficiency

Biofortified bajra (pearl millet) introduced into the diet of Indian adolescents led to reduced iron deficiency and improved learning skills and mental ability, a new study found. Biofortification is a process by which the nutritional value of a crop is improved through conventional plant breeding or bio-technology. This is different from fortification, a post-harvest process adopted by the food industry, mostly for salt, atta (wheat flour) and milk. A randomised double-blind trial–where both participants and researchers are unaware which group is being given the intervention–was conducted in Maharashtra for six months among 140 adolescents aged between 12 and 16. One set consumed the iron-fortified millet while the other consumed conventional pearl millet twice daily as bhakri (a local flatbread) or shev (a savory snack). Computer-based tasks were administered before and after six months of the experiment to measure cognitive skills. Those who consumed fortified millet showed improved learning and mental abilities related to perception, attention, and memory, found the study published in the Journal of Nutrition in July 2018. This group also showed a 50% reduction in reaction time to certain tasks. “If we can improve adolescents’ performance in school by boosting their iron intake we may also have longer term impacts in terms of their ability to secure a good job, or be admitted to a college programme,” said the press statement issued by Samuel Scott, the lead author of the study and an associate research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).