From Alan Lansdown, Imperial College School of Medicine
Rice genetically modified in the way you report would not only alleviate iron
and vitamin A deficiency in the Far East
(14 August, p 12),
but also increase the uptake of other trace metals.
Your article describes how the phytate in normal rice binds to iron,
preventing its uptake and leading to anaemia, reproductive problems and mental
retardation. However, phytate and other proteins are also known to reduce the
uptake of other important trace metals like zinc and copper.
The best illustration of this derives from the pioneering studies done in the
1960s by Ananda Prasad and his colleagues in the Middle East. They linked high
incidences of growth retardation, skin diseases and abnormalities to the
consumption of plants rich in phytate and other substances that cause profound
zinc deficiency. Zinc interacts with iron in many body systems.
London
