Iron

Studies in people

• Benefit

  First-line treatment³

  Oral iron is usually recommended as first-line therapy for iron deficiency anaemia.

• Benefit

  Morning dosing schedule⁷

  Taking iron pills every other morning may help the body absorb more iron than daily split doses.

• Benefit

  Anaemia in pregnancy⁸

  Daily iron in pregnancy may lower anaemia and iron deficiency, and babies may be less likely to have low birthweight.

• Benefit

  Oxygen transport and periods⁹

  Iron helps carry oxygen in the blood, and heavy periods can lower iron levels in female athletes.

• Open question

  Supplement evidence in young children¹⁰

  In healthy European infants and toddlers of normal birth weight, there is not enough evidence to support iron supplements.

• Benefit

  Vitamin C and mineral uptake¹¹

  In people, ascorbic acid helps the body absorb nonheme iron from vegetable meals, but not heme iron from meat.

• Open question

  Supplement risks for aging¹²

  In people, iron from food was fine, but too much iron from supplements was linked to faster aging.

• Open question

  Mineral intake from meals¹⁵

  Students eating hostel meals got enough iron, but not enough copper.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Nutrient absorption from food¹⁷

  In lab studies, iron added to lentil dal raised the amount the body could take in by 32–37% compared with plain dal.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Can damage raises metal levels¹⁸

  Dented cans let iron leak into pineapple drink, so a child drinking three could take in a lot.

How it’s made and used

• Anemia in young women⁴

  Iron deficiency anemia affects many children and women in India, and eating more iron alone has not fixed it.

• Endurance in female athletes⁵

  Iron deficiency slowed female athletes' endurance, but iron supplements improved it in some studies.

• Body's control of absorption⁶

  How much iron you absorb depends more on your own body than on what you eat.

• Nutrient uptake from food¹³

  Babies absorbed different amounts of iron from fortified rice cereal, vegetables with beef, and grape juice.

• Nutrient uptake from cheese¹⁴

  Iron from iron-enriched yeast added to fresh cheese was absorbed less well than iron from ferrous sulfate.

• Baby brain development¹⁶

  Not getting enough iron in pregnancy is linked to autism and schizophrenia in children.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.