against heme Fe bioavailability. According to the present study and
in our experimental conditions, purified animal proteins did not
favor heme Fe absorption in humans; chicken and fish dramatically
reduced absorption, and displayed absorption ratios below 1.0. The
presence of 150 g of chicken or fish decreased the bioavailability of
heme Fe by 53% and 32%, respectively. However, the red cell
stroma was a clear factor that promoted heme Fe absorption with
an absorption ratio of 1.92.