“Iron?”Here!
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As a supplement
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Roll Call does not check drug interactions or assess personal safety.
An essential mineral the body uses to carry oxygen in the blood.
Why it’s used
Taken to correct or prevent iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia.
What the evidence is for
correcting and preventing iron-deficiency anemia.
What the evidence says
Supplementation corrects and prevents iron-deficiency anaemia; in pregnancy, daily iron substantially cuts the risk of anaemia at term. Iron is worth taking when you are deficient, not by default — the body has no way to excrete a surplus, so unneeded iron accumulates.
Dose studied
8–45 mg — adult RDA (8–18 mg/day) up to the tolerable upper intake level (45 mg/day), per NIH ODS.
Context
The adult RDA is 8 mg (men and post-menopausal women) to 18 mg (women 19–50); the tolerable upper intake level is 45 mg/day. Doses of 45 mg or more commonly cause constipation, nausea, and stomach upset; taking iron with food helps.
Rumors
Correcting and preventing iron-deficiency anemia — fatigue, weakness and trouble concentrating, and in infants delayed development that may not be reversible.
Supports — establishedhealth and safety evidence
Studied in: individuals with iron deficiency or iron-deficiency anemia.
Measured as a biomarker.
- Office of Dietary Supplements - Iron (Regulatory) · Funding not checked
How much is a reference amount
- 18 mg a dayfor adults 19–50, women · Recommended Dietary Allowance
Upper limit 45 mg a day, from food and supplements together.
- 8 mg a dayfor adults 19–50, men · Recommended Dietary Allowance
Upper limit 45 mg a day, from food and supplements together.
- 8 mg a dayfor adults 51–70 · Recommended Dietary Allowance
Upper limit 45 mg a day, from food and supplements together.
- 8 mg a dayfor adults 71 and over · Recommended Dietary Allowance
Upper limit 45 mg a day, from food and supplements together.
The 18 mg figure is for menstruating adults and falls to 8 mg at 51. Showing one adult number for iron would be wrong for most readers either way.
Every applicable line is shown because we don’t know which one is yours, and a reference intake is a target for a population, not a threshold for harm.