Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40662698›Full record

ArticleMaternal & child nutrition2025

A Cross-Sectional Association Between Serum Aflatoxin and Micronutrient Status Among Children Aged 6-24 Months in Rural Tanzania.

Naelijwa Mshanga, Neema Kassim, Suchaya Sonto, Haikael D Martin, Monica Pirani, Sally Moore, Carolyn I Auma, Martin Kimanya, Yun Yun Gong

Abstract read
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Article in Maternal & child nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Naelijwa MshangaSchool of Life Science and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.ORCID 0000-0003-1751-1002
Neema KassimSchool of Life Science and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.ORCID 0000-0003-1129-7105
Suchaya SontoSchool of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Haikael D MartinSchool of Life Science and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.ORCID 0000-0003-2199-6831
Monica PiraniDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, White City Campus, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6418-3278
Sally MooreSchool of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0249-8645
Carolyn I AumaSchool of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1980-5242
Martin KimanyaSchool of Life Science and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.ORCID 0000-0002-8320-2841
Yun Yun GongSchool of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4927-5526

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Micronutrient deficiencies are a significant public health problem, particularly affecting children under five, caused by inadequate intake of micronutrient-rich foods or environmental factors like aflatoxin exposure. Three hundred sixty-nine children aged 6-24 months from Tanzania's Babati and Hanang districts participated in this study. Serum aflatoxin albumin adduct (AF-alb) levels were assessed as measures of aflatoxin exposure. Haemoglobin levels, serum ferritin, C-reactive protein, zinc and vitamins A, B9, and B12 were assessed to determine anaemia and deficiencies in iron, zinc and vitamins A, B9 and B12 based on WHO cut-off points. Seventy per cent of the children had detectable levels of AF-alb. The AF-alb geometric mean was 5.99 (95% CI: 5.99, 6.87) pg/mg. Of those with measured micronutrient markers, 37% were anaemic, and 33%, 75%, 4%, 4% and 73% were deficient in iron, zinc, vitamins A, B9 and B12, respectively. The child's age, gender and stunting were all significantly associated (p < 0.05) with anaemia and deficiencies in zinc, vitamin A and B12. Moreover, AF-alb was associated with iron deficiency even after adjusting for confounders; children with high AF-alb levels ( > 6.07 pg/mg) were 1.40 times more likely to be iron deficient (AOR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.74). The high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies and its association with aflatoxin exposure among young children highlights the urgent need for comprehensive intervention strategies, such as improving dietary diversity and enhancing food safety to reduce aflatoxin exposure. Importantly, longitudinal research is needed to understand the causal effect relationship between aflatoxin exposure and micronutrient deficiencies.

Indexed as

AflatoxinsMicronutrientsNutritional StatusAlbuminsAnemiaAnemia, Iron-DeficiencyChild, PreschoolC-Reactive ProteinCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleFerritinsHemoglobinsHumansInfantMaleRural Populationaflatoxin-albumin adductAflatoxinsAlbuminsC-Reactive ProteinFerritinsHemoglobinsMicronutrientsZinc6–24 monthsaflatoxin exposuremicronutrient deficienciesTanzania

Identifiers

PMID40662698
PMCPMC12454167

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.