Iron

Studies in people

• Open question

  Endurance in female athletes³

  In female athletes, iron deficiency lowered endurance, and iron supplements improved it.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Fortifying lentil dal⁸

  In lab studies, adding NaFeEDTA to lentil dal raised iron availability by about a third over plain dal.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  First-line treatment⁴

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

• Concern

  Baby brain development⁶

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

How it’s made and used

• Anemia in mothers and children⁵

  Iron deficiency anemia is a major problem in India, and just eating more iron has not been enough to fix it.

• Body's control of absorption⁷

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

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 two findings in people. 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.