The Effects of pH on the Absorption of Fortified Iron A high school report
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Have you ever experienced a burning pain on your sternum before? This burning is caused by gastroesophageal reflux. This is a common disease where the acid from the stomach travels back up the esophagus. The only way to contain this burning is to take a gastroesophageal reflux medication. These medications are taken to decrease the acidity of the stomach acid.
These medications could also cause a new problem called iron-deficient anemia, because iron gets less bioavailable as the pH of the stomach rises over 3.5. This investigation was designed to address the question, how does Gastroesophageal reflux medication affect the pH in the stomach, therefore, affecting the bioavailability of iron? I hypothesized that as the pH of the stomach becomes less acidic, because of the effects of the gastroesophageal reflux medication, the bioavailability of iron will decrease.
For this project, gastric acids from the pH of 1 to the pH of 7 were individually heated to 37℃, the average human body temperature. That temperature was maintained for 3 hours in order to mimic the amount of time food would be in the stomach. Ten grams of iron powder were added to solutions at each pH level for 3 hours. After 3 hours, the gastric juice was filtered. The filter paper and iron residue were allowed to dry and then the mass was measured. The amount
of iron which was dissolved in the solution was then determined. Overall, my hypothesis was incorrect because the bioavailability of iron was variable at various pH levels. There was not a linear relationship between iron solubility and pH. These results are relevant to this issue because it has been determined that the solubility of fortified iron
in the stomach is relatively unchanged by pH variations due to the effect of acid reflux medicine.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
- Student authors waive FERPA rights for only the publication of the author submitted works.
Specifically: Students of Indiana University East voluntarily agree to submit their own works to The Journal of Student Research at Indiana University East, with full understanding of FERPA rights and in recognition that for this one, specific instance they understand that The Journal of Student Research at Indiana University East is Public and Open Access. Additionally, the Journal is viewable via the Internet and searchable via Indiana University, Google, and Google-Scholar search engines.
References
“Acid Reflux.” American College of Gastroenterology, 21 Sept. 2022, gi.org/topics/acid-reflux/
“AMD Basics.” AMRClearinghouse.org, www.amrclearinghouse.org/Sub/AMDbasics/Ferrous-FerricIron.htm.
Bess Ruff, MA. “How to Simulate Stomach Acid: 8 Steps (with Pictures).” WikiHow, WikiHow, 26 July 2022, www.wikihow.com/Simulate-Stomach-Acid#:~:text=Like vinegar, lemonjuice can,2 on the pH scale.
Chuan, M.C., Shu, G.Y., and Liu, J.C. “Solubility of heavy metals in a contaminated soil: Effects of redox potential and pH.” Springer Link, August 1996. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00282668
“Definition & Facts for GER & GERD.” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/acid-reflux-ger-gerd-adults/definition-facts#:~:text=Researchers estimate that about 20,the United States have GERD.
“Difference Between Ferrous and Ferric Oxide.” Noah Chemicals, 26 Apr. 2022, noahchemicals.com/blog/difference-between-ferrous-and-ferric-oxide/.
Ems, Thomas, Lucia, Kayla St, and Huecker, Martin R. “Biochemistry, Iron Absorption.” National Library of Medicine, 21 April 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448204/#:~:text=The%20absorption%20of%20most%20dietary,a%20protein%20such%20as%20heme.
Gragnolati, Amy B. “Acid Reflux Medicine: H2 Blockers, Antacids, and More.” GoodRx, GoodRx, 2022. www.goodrx.com/conditions/gerd/best-treatment-acid-reflux-antacids-h2-blockers-proton-pump-inhibitors.
Hurrell, Richard F. “Iron Fortification Practices and Implications for Iron Addition to Salt.” The Journal of Nutrition, 15 Jan. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33582781/
Kenneth R. Bridges, M.D. Iron Absorption, sickle.bwh.harvard.edu/iron_absorption.html#:~:text=Iron enters the stomach from,thenormally insoluble Fe3+
“Office of Dietary Supplements - Iron.” NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/
Piskin, Elif. “Iron Absorption: Factors, Limitations, and Improvement Methods.” 10 June 2022, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.2c01833
Stein, Jürgen, et al. “Anemia and Iron Deficiency in Gastrointestinal and Liver Conditions.” World Journal of Gastroenterology, Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 21 Sept. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5028806/.
“Stomach Acid.” Stomach Acid - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/stomach-acid.
Stuart, Annie. “Acid Reflux Disease Symptoms, Causes, Tests, and Treatments.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/what-is-acid-reflux-disease