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NIH Public Access Author Manuscript J Nutr. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2009 March 1.

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Published in final edited form as: J Nutr. 2008 March ; 138(3): 581–586.

Zinc, Gravida, Infection, and Iron, but Not Vitamin B-12 or Folate Status, Predict Hemoglobin during Pregnancy in Southern Ethiopia,1,2 Rosalind S. Gibson3,*, Yewelsew Abebe4, Sally Stabler5, Robert H. Allen5, Jamie E. Westcott6, Barbara J. Stoecker7, Nancy F. Krebs6, and K. Michael Hambidge6 3Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 9015 4College of Agriculture, Hawassa University, Awassa, Ethiopia 5Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado, Denver, CO 80262

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6Section of Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, CO 80262 7Department of Nutrition, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078

Abstract

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The etiology of anemia during pregnancy in rural Southern Ethiopia is uncertain. Intakes of animalsource foods are low and infections and bacterial overgrowth probably coexist. We therefore measured the dietary intakes of a convenience sample of Sidama women in late pregnancy who consumed either maize (n = 68) or fermented enset (Enset ventricosum) (n = 31) as their major energy source. Blood samples were analyzed for a complete blood count, vitamin B-12 and folate status, plasma ferritin, retinol, zinc, albumin, and C-reactive protein (CRP). The role of infection and gravida was also examined. Dietary intakes were calculated from 1-d weighed records. No cellular animal products were consumed. Of the women, 29% had anemia, 13% had iron deficiency anemia, 33% had depleted iron stores, and 74 and 27% had low plasma zinc and retinol, respectively. Only 2% had low plasma folate (13.9 μmol/L (18); plasma cystathionine >342 nmol/L (17); plasma folate