Iron fortification of foods is widespread and probably causes more harm than good.
In the U.S., the FDA mandates that "enriched flour" must be fortified with iron, and most baked goods are made with it.
Bread, for instance.
In the U.S., the FDA mandates that "enriched flour" must be fortified with iron, and most baked goods are made with it.
Bread, for instance.
Pasta
Iron supplements could be tipping pregnant women into gestational diabetes. mdpi.com
While iron fortification of foods is done to fight iron deficiency, it also leads to a significant amount of iron overload.
Free (unbound by ferritin and other molecules) iron causes DNA damage and may in fact be the most important factor doing so. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Dietary flavonoids from tea, onions, and apples are associated with massively lower (68%) risk of coronary heart disease, and the reason may be because these flavonoids are strong iron chelators - they bind free iron and remove it. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The iron added to food is often just ground iron. This is free iron, the kind most likely to cause DNA damage.
Iron deficiency anemia is found in from 3-5% of toddlers and women of childbearing age in the U.S.
This should be appropriately addressed, but giving iron to everyone can lead to many more cases of iron overload.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
This should be appropriately addressed, but giving iron to everyone can lead to many more cases of iron overload.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Iron fortification is one more reason to avoid ultra-processed foods.
Iron overload is dangerous, and even small amounts of free iron can damage DNA and other biomolecules.
Iron overload is dangerous, and even small amounts of free iron can damage DNA and other biomolecules.
One more: ferric citrate, which is often used for iron fortification of food, damages the colon in mice.
Iron may be implicated in causing strokes.
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