Fortified fish sauce boosts thiamin intake among Cambodians

A NEW study published in The Journal of Pediatrics offers a simple, economical, and sustainable way to get enough thiamine (vitamin B1) in the diet of Cambodians.

Researchers from the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and the University of Adelaide fortified fish sauce – a staple condiment – with this vitamin.

Led by Professor Tim Green, Principal Nutritionist within SAHMRI’s Healthy Mothers, Babies and Children theme and Affiliate Professor, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, the team hopes to improve thiamin intake among mothers and children 1-5 years old in Cambodia as well as the rest of Southeast Asia where thiamin deficiency remains common, and puts people at risk of developing beriberi.

The study shows that fortified fish sauce was well accepted by Cambodian families, and improved blood markers of thiamin status.

“This research suggests that thiamin-fortified fish sauce has the potential to be a simple, low-cost, and sustainable means of improving dietary thiamin intake and preventing thiamin deficiency in Cambodia,” says Prof Green. 

Fish sauce is derived from fish, usually anchovies, fermented in sea salt.