Double Credit: Iron-fortified salt cuts anemia
By Ben Harder
A form of table salt manufactured to contain iron can fight off anemia among children, nutrition researchers working in North Africa have shown. That advance could expand the role of salt fortification, already an important global tool against iodine deficiency.
Scientists have long considered salt to be an ideal vehicle for delivering nutrients because it’s cheap and nearly all people consume it daily. In recent decades, most governments have required iodization of salt, which has reduced the worldwide prevalence of mental retardation from iodine deficiency.