Iron intake

Executive Summary

"Healthy adults who took supplements containing average daily amounts of iron at <3 times the recommended dietary allowance did not have significantly higher iron stores than those who did not take supplements," Heidi Blanck, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, et al., conclude in the November American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Authors analyzed data on 5,948 adults from the third National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), in which participants were interviewed and given a physical exam. Daily iron intake was estimated from survey responses about food frequency and supplementation. Despite the findings, the authors recommend supplement users be notified that "excessive iron intake may cause gastrointestinal distress" and may reduce absorption of zinc and certain Rx drugs...