[Contribution of iron of bread to the Chilean diet]

The content and bioavailability of iron contained in Chilean bread was studied in a random sample from 301 bakeries. A wet digestion procedure followed by a colorimetric method was used. Iron bioavailability was examined in 9 adult women using the extrinsic radioactive tag method. The iron content of bread was 2.4 +/- 0.7 mg/100 g (normally distributed) and 71% of bakeries used wheat flour with adequate iron content. The geometric mean of iron absorption was high (10.5%). Simultaneous ingestion of milk or tea decreased iron absorption by 26 and 35%, respectively. These data suggest that bread represents an important source of iron in the diet of the Chilean population. Iron fortification of bread should be supported and improved nationwide.