'Try Sa'bay': Amelioration of Iron Deficiency Anemia Using Happy Iron Fish

摘要

The current paper discuses the design and evaluation of an innovative iron supplementation technique.A culturally acceptable, inexpensive and lightweight iron ingot was designed to resemble a fish speciesconsidered lucky in Khmer culture. The ingot, referred to as ‘try sabay’ or ‘happy fish’, was designed to supplyiron at a slow, steady rate. Iron leaching was observed in water and soup samples prepared with the iron fishwhen used concurrently with an acidifier. More than 75% of daily iron requirements can be met with regular use.The effectiveness of the iron fish was investigated in a randomized community trial in rural Cambodia. Over a12-month trial period, significant increases in hemoglobin concentration and serum ferritin were observed inwomen allocated an iron fish when compared to controls. The study highlights the acceptability andeffectiveness of a fish-shaped iron ingot as a means of improving dietary iron content.