foods Review Fighting Iron-Deficiency Anemia: Innovations in Food Fortificants and Biofortification Strategies Ângela Liberal 1 , José Pinela 1,* , Ana Maria Vívar-Quintana 2 , Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira 1 and Lillian Barros 1,* 1 Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal;
[email protected] (Â.L.);
[email protected] (I.C.F.R.F.) 2 Tecnología de los Alimentos, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Zamora, Universidad de Salamanca, Avenida Requejo 33, 49022 Zamora, Spain;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] (J.P.);
[email protected] (L.B.) Received: 18 October 2020; Accepted: 11 December 2020; Published: 15 December 2020 Abstract: Iron deficiency remains one of the main nutritional disorders worldwide and low iron intake and/or bioavailability are currently the major causes of anemia. To fight this public health problem, the scientific challenge is to find an iron form with sufficient bioavailability to increase its levels in humans through food fortification. In turn, biofortification appears as a comparatively advantageous and bearable strategy for the delivery of vitamins and other micronutrients for people without access to a healthy and diverse diet. This approach relies on plant breeding, transgenic techniques, or agronomic practices to obtain a final food product with a higher iron content. It is also known that certain food constituents are able to favor or inhibit iron absorption. The management of these compounds can thus successfully improve the absorption of dietary iron and, ultimately, contribute to fight this disorder present all over the world. This review describes the main causes/manifestations of iron-deficiency anemia, forms of disease prevention and treatment, and the importance of a balanced and preventive diet.