Zinc-Biofortified Rice Improves Growth in Zinc-Deficient Rats

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Nutritional Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Zinc deficiency is a global health concern, impacting growth and development.
• Biofortification of staple crops like rice with zinc is a promising strategy to address this deficiency.
• Evidence on the health impacts and zinc utilization from biofortified crops is still needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of zinc biofortified rice (BRD) in improving zinc status and promoting growth in zinc-deficient rats.
• To compare zinc absorption and utilization from BRD with control rice diets (CRD) and a diet with supplemental zinc (CRD+Zn).

Main Methods:

• Weaning male Wistar/Kyoto rats were fed a zinc-deficient diet (ZDD) for 4 weeks.
• Repletion phase involved pair-feeding with CRD, CRD+Zn, or BRD for 3 weeks.
• Measurements included body weight, plasma, liver, pancreatic, and fecal zinc levels, and intestinal ZIP4 and ZnT1 mRNA expression.

Main Results:

• All repletion diets significantly increased body weight compared to ZDD.
• BRD significantly increased body weight compared to CRD, but less than CRD+Zn.
• Plasma zinc, tissue zinc, and fecal zinc excretion were elevated in all repletion groups compared to ZDD.
• CRD+Zn showed the highest plasma and tissue zinc levels.
• Intestinal gene expression correlated with zinc status, indicating efficient zinc absorption and transport.

Conclusions:

• Zinc from biofortified rice is efficiently utilized for growth in zinc-deficient rats.
• Biofortification offers a viable approach to enhance zinc intake and improve nutritional status.
• Further research is warranted to confirm these findings in human populations.