Nearly four out of five adults in farming households in Ghana have signs of poor blood health, even though they eat a variety of foods, according to a new study by researchers at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST).

The study, published in the Current Developments in Nutrition journal, found that 79.2% of participants had low mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), a measure of how much haemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen, is contained in red blood cells. Low MCHC is often a sign of iron deficiency or other forms of anaemia.

Researchers found that the types of diets people followed were not linked to better blood health. Instead, getting enough specific nutrients such as iron, magnesium, vitamin B6, folate, vitamins A and E, fibre and healthy fats was more important.

The researchers led by Akosua Boateng studied 125 adults from farming households in Ghana to examine how their eating habits affected their blood health.

Participants completed a questionnaire on the foods they had eaten over the previous year and another on what they had eaten in the previous 24 hours. Blood samples were also taken to measure different indicators of blood health.

The researchers identified five common eating patterns, ranging from mixed staple-and-protein meals to energy-dense diets. Together, these represented most of the foods consumed by participants.

However, none of these overall eating patterns was linked to healthier blood.

Instead, people who consumed higher amounts of key nutrients, particularly iron, magnesium, B vitamins, fibre and healthy fats, generally had better blood health indicators.

The researchers say the findings suggest that nutrition programmes should focus less on promoting broad diet patterns and more on ensuring people consume enough nutrients that support healthy blood.

They recommend interventions that improve access to foods rich in iron, B vitamins, magnesium and other essential minerals, alongside fibre and healthy fats, to help reduce blood health problems in rural communities.

The researchers also called for further studies to determine whether increasing these nutrients can improve blood health over time.

Story: Emmanuel Kwasi Debrah