Double-blind randomized controlled trial of rolls fortified with microencapsulated iron

objective: to evaluate the impact of the fortification of rolls with microencapsulated iron sulfate with sodium alginate on the hemoglobin levels in preschoolers as compared to controls. methods: double-blind randomized controlled trial comprised of children aged 2 to 6 years with initial hemoglobin exceeding 9 g/dl from four not-for-profit daycares randomly selected in the city of s？o paulo - brazil. children of 2 daycares (n = 88) received rolls with fortified wheat flour as the exposed group (ec) and children of 2 daycares (n = 85) received rolls without fortification as the control group (cg) over a 24-week period. rolls with 4 mg iron each were offered once a day, five days a week. hemoglobin concentrations were determined in capillary blood by hemocue？ at three moments of trial: baseline (ml), after 12 and 24 weeks of intervention (m2, m3). results: hemoglobin concentration presented significant increase up to m3 in eg (11.7-12.5-12.6 g/dl) and in cg (11.1-12.4-12.3 g/dl) with higher elevations in children initially with anemia. there was significant reduction in the occurrence of anemia from 22% to 9% in eg and from 47% to 8.2% in cg at m3. conclusion: rolls fortified with microencapsulated iron sulfate were well tolerated, increased hemoglobin levels and reduced the occurrence of anemia, but with no difference compared to the control group.