Climate change and One Health

The journal The Lancet recently published a countdown on health and climate change. Attention was focused solely on humans. However, animals, including wildlife, livestock and pets, may also be impacted by climate change. Complementary to the high relevance of awareness rising for protecting humans against climate change, here we present a One Health approach, which aims at the simultaneous protection of humans, animals and the environment from climate change impacts (climate change adaptation). We postulate that integrated approaches save human and animal lives and reduce costs when compared to public and animal health sectors working separately. A One Health approach to climate change adaptation may significantly contribute to food security with emphasis on animal source foods, extensive livestock systems, particularly ruminant livestock, environmental sanitation, and steps towards regional and global integrated syndromic surveillance and response systems. The cost of outbreaks of emerging vector-borne zoonotic pathogens may be much lower if they are detected early in the vector or in livestock rather than later in humans. Therefore, integrated community-based surveillance of zoonoses is a promising avenue to reduce health effects of climate change.

Fractional Absorption of Iron from Crickets Consumed with Refined or Whole Meal Maize Porridge in Young Adult Women (OR07-06-19)

Objectives

Edible insects are considered as an alternative source of proteins, but in addition are also rich sources of minerals. However, no studies have investigated the bioavailability of minerals from edible insects in humans. House cricket (Acheta domesticus) is an edible insect species that is commonly consumed in low and middle income countries where the prevalence of iron deficiency and anaemia is relatively high. We aimed to assess the fractional iron absorption of iron from house crickets in humans after addition to either a refined (low-phytate) or a whole meal (high-phytate) maize porridge meal. A second objective was to assess the fractional iron absorption from maize porridge meals when crickets were added.

Methods

A single blind randomized cross-over trial was conducted. We recruited 24 females (18–30 years) with serum ferritin < 25 ng/mL and body weight < 65 kg. Six different meals with equivalent amounts of iron were randomly administered to each participant in two series, consisting of either refined (low-phytate) or whole meal (high-phytate) maize porridge with A) intrinsically 57Fe labelled house crickets; B) 58FeSO4; and C) unlabelled house crickets and 54FeSO4. Fractional iron absorption was determined by measuring shifts in Fe isotope ratios incorporated into erythrocytes that were collected before and 14 days after administration of each series of experimental meals.

Results

For refined maize porridge, mean fractional absorption of iron from meal B was higher (13.55%; P < 0.001) than from meals A (1.99%) and C (3.12%). As expected, iron absorption was significantly lower from meals prepared from whole meal maize flour as compared to those prepared from refined flour (P < 0.001). For whole meal maize porridge, fractional absorption of iron from meals A, B and C was 1.31%, 3.12% and 2.30%, respectively.

Conclusions

Fractional absorption of iron from edible house crickets added to maize porridge was generally low, and addition of crickets to refined maize porridge reduced fractional iron absorption from the meal. Before promoting edible insects as an alternative source of iron, further investigation into their anti-nutritional properties is required.

Funding Sources

Wellcome Trust, UK.