The effect of sugar-free candy made from moringa leaves (Ironella Candy) on hemoglobin levels in students with anemia

• Nurul Awalia ^[1] ; Ulfah Najamuddin ^[1] ; Rahayu Indriasari ^[1] ; Burhanuddin Bahar ^[1] ; Veni Hadju ^[1]
  1. [1] Hasanuddin University

     Hasanuddin University

     Indonesia

     
• Localización: Nutrición clínica y dietética hospitalaria, ISSN 0211-6057, Vol. 46, Nº. 1, 2026, págs. 236-244
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.12873/461unajamuddin
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen

  • Background: The food-based approach strategy is a nutritional intervention that is highly acceptable, effective, and affordable, making it suitable for addressing anemia.

    Aim: To assess the effect of sugar-free candy made from moringa leaves (Ironella Candy) on the hemoglobin levels of students with anemia.

    Materials and Methods: This study is a randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. 35 respondents with moderate and mild anemia were selected. The respondents were then randomized into two groups: the intervention group who received sugar-free candy made from moringa leaves accompanied by anemia education, and the control group who received placebo candy accompanied by anemia education. Hemoglobin levels were measured at three time points: before intervention (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention¹), and one month after intervention (post-intervention²). Data analysis used the Wilcoxon test and Mann Whitney test.

    Results: At the initial examination (pre-intervention), hemoglobin levels in both groups did not differ significantly (p=0.186). The Wilcoxon test showed an increase in hemoglobin levels in both groups after administration of sugar-free candy made from moringa leaves and anemia education (p<0.001). In contrast, in the control group that received placebo candy and anemia education, the increase in hemoglobin levels was not significant (p=0.092). Based on the Mann-Whitney test, there was no significant difference in hemoglobin levels between the two groups either at post intervention¹ (p=0.354) or post intervention² (p=0.853). However, the analysis showed a significant difference between post-intervention¹ and post-intervention² in the intervention group (p<0.001) and the control group (p=0.004).

    Conclusion: The effects of sugar-free candy made from moringa leaves, accompanied by anemia education, have been proven to increase hemoglobin levels in students with anemia. Further research with longer intervention durations and additional biomarker measurements is needed to strengthen the evidence of its effectiveness.

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