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SUMMARY:Malnutrition in resource-poor settings: finding simple solutions t
 o complex problems  - Dr Christopher Charles\, Vice President\, Global Hea
 lth at Canadian Federation of Medical Students
DTSTART:20160420T120000Z
DTEND:20160420T130000Z
UID:TALK65314@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:46185
DESCRIPTION:Maternal and child under-nutrition is highly prevalent in the 
 developing world with serious consequences for human health and socio-econ
 omic development. The World Heal Organization estimates that nearly 2 bill
 ion people are anemic\, with the largest burden of disease in women\, chil
 dren and infants. Current prevention and control practices rely on either 
 supplementation with iron pills or large-scale food fortification. The for
 mer is an unsustainable means of introducing iron into the diet\, and the 
 latter has not yet shown success in many low- and middle-income countries.
  The Lucky Iron Fish™ is a novel iron supplementation technique: a cultu
 rally acceptable\, inexpensive and lightweight iron ingot that is produced
  in the shape of a species of fish\, which is considered lucky in Cambodia
 n culture. Laboratory studies demonstrate that theoretically more than 75%
  of daily iron requirements can be met by consuming just one litre of boil
 ed drinking water when prepared with the iron ingot. Randomized controlled
  trials demonstrate a nearly two-fold reduction in the prevalence of anemi
 a after 12 consecutive months of use\, with near 90% compliance to the tre
 atment regime. This research highlights both the acceptability and effecti
 veness of a fish-shaped iron ingot as a means of improving dietary iron co
 ntent. The Lucky Iron Fish™ represents a promising solution to the probl
 em of iron deficiency anemia in resource-poor settings\, which has signifi
 cant\, beneficial impacts on the lives of women and their families. Given 
 the serious and irreversible functional consequences of anemia and iron de
 ficiency\, it is imperative that the public health nutrition community ado
 pts simple\, cost-effective and evidence-based solutions that are accessib
 le to rural and urban populations alike. 
LOCATION:Thomas Strangeways Room\, Strangeways Research Laboratory
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