Effect of horse meat consumption on iron status, lipid profile and fatty acid composition of red blood cell membrane: preliminary study

In the last decade an increase of horse meat consumption has been observed. Italy is the highest consumer among all European countries. This may be due to the low collagen content affecting tenderness of meat. Compared to others, horse meat is very high in iron, one portion providing about one-third of daily recommended dietary intake. Moreover is very low in fat and cholesterol (about 20% less) and it is a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic and α-linolenic acid. Very few studies evaluated the effect of the regular consumption of horse meat on iron metabolism and fatty acids profile. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of horse meat consumption on lipid profile, iron status and fatty acid composition of red blood cells membrane in healthy subjects. Fifty-two male healthy volunteers were enrolled. Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: a test group in which subjects received two portions of 175g/week of horse meat and a control group in which volunteers abstained from horse meat consumption while could eat other meats for a period of 3 months. At the beginning and after 45 and 90 days, venous blood samples were collected for analysis. Lipid profile, iron, transferrin and cholesterol were assayed. Fatty acids composition of red blood cells membrane was determined by GC/FID. During the experimental period all the biochemical parameters considered were within the normal range. Horse meat consumption induced a variation in the fatty acid composition of red blood cells membrane, total cholesterol and transferrin. These percentage variations (time 90 vs time 0) were greater and significantly different (p<0.05) between test and control groups for the content of omega-3 (12.3±2.5 vs 5±1.0) and docosahexaneoic acid (12.6±2.5 vs 6.9±1.3). A significant variation (p<0.05) was also observed for total cholesterol (-5.6±2.7 vs -1.6±2.0) and transferrin (-5.7±0.9 vs -1.8±1.1). An increase (although not significant) occurred also for sideremia. In conclusion, we showed that the regular consumption of horse meat could increase omega 3, docosahexaneoic acid concentration, reduce total cholesterol and improve iron status. Work supported by NabaCarni