What is iron?
Iron is a mineral that is required by the body.
Why do I need iron?
Iron plays an important role in forming haemoglobin in red blood cells.
Haemoglobin is a protein that binds with oxygen in the blood to transport it around the body.
Iron is involved in energy metabolism and the metabolism of drugs and foreign substances being removed by the body.
Iron is also required in enzyme reactions and the immune system.
How much iron do I need?
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of iron in the UK is 8.7mg a day for adult men and 14.8mg a day for adult women.
The Department of Health advises that you should be able to get all the iron you need from a healthy balanced diet.
However, women who tend to have menorrhagia each month may need to take an iron supplement.
Speak to a healthcare professional for more advice.
What happens if I don't have enough iron?
Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common nutritional deficiency condition.
More than 2 billion people in the world have it. Iron deficiency anaemia can be caused by a lack of dietary iron.
Loss of blood after an injury or heavy menstrual bleeding can also increase the body's requirement for iron.
See our factsheet on iron deficiency anaemia for more information on symptoms and treatment.
Where is iron found?
Iron is present in foods in two different forms: haem iron (from animal sources) and non-haem iron (from plant sources).
Haem iron is more bioavailable than non-haem iron. This means that the proportion of iron absorbed from haem iron by the body is greater than that absorbed by non-haem iron.
However, non-haem iron is more widely found in food sources, such as fruit and vegetables, nuts, beans, pulses and cereals.
Other good sources of iron include meat, liver, dried fruits (especially dried apricots), whole grains, fortified breakfast cereal, soybean flour; and dark green, leafy vegetables.
What are the effects of cooking on iron?
Foods containing iron are subject to an iron loss of 35 per cent on cooking and 40 per cent on cooking and draining.
When cooking, it is important to use fresh food, steam rather than boil and avoid overly long cooking times to preserve vitamins.
Do I need to take an iron supplement?
The Department of Health advises that you should be able to get all the iron you need by eating a healthy balanced diet.
If you do decide to take an iron supplement, take no more than 20mg a day unless advised otherwise by your GP.
What are the side effects and safety precautions of taking an iron supplement?
Iron supplements are deemed likely safe for most people. Iron supplements should be taken on an empty stomach as food can decrease the body's ability to absorb iron from the supplements.
If side effects are troublesome, iron supplements may be taken with food. However, try to avoid taking iron with foods containing dairy products, tea, coffee or cereals.
Liquid iron supplements may blacken the teeth.
High doses of iron are unsafe and potentially fatal for children/ Iron poisoning can lead to intestinal distress, liver failure, low blood pressure and death.
Call a healthcare professional immediately if you suspect that someone has taken more than the RDA of iron.
Iron supplements are deemed likely safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women at lower doses than the RDA –check with a healthcare professional.
If you have any of the following conditions, check with a healthcare professional before taking iron supplements:
- stomach or intestinal ulcers
- intestinal inflammation, like ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease
- haemoglobin disorders, such as thalassaemia.
What happens if I take too much iron?
Taking too much (over 20mg) iron can lead to symptoms such as constipation, nausea, stomach pain and vomiting.
Always keep iron supplements out of the reach of children.
Do iron supplements have any drug interactions?
Iron has moderate interaction with the following drugs:
- quinolone, tetracycline antibiotics
- methyldopa (Aldomet)
- mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept)
- penicillamine (Cuprimine, Depen)
Want to know more about vitamins and minerals?
Vitamin A: Vitamin A can be found in carrots and green, leafy vegetables.
Vitamin B3: Eggs are a good source of vitamin B3 as well as protein.
Vitamin B2: Women who take oral contraception may benefit from vitamin B2 supplementation.
Vitamin B5: Using fresh food while cooking helps to preserve vitamins.
Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 is involved in maintaing a healthy level of homocysteine, which decreases risk of heart disease.
Vitamin B7: Vitamin B7 deficiency can be caused be eating raw egg whites over many years.
Vitamin B9: Brown rice, green vegetables and fortified breakfast cereals are good sources of vitamin B9.
Vitamin C: Citrus fruits are a good source of vitamin C.
Vitamin D: Individuals with low vitamin D levels are at risk of developing health problems linked to vitamin D deficiency, such as osteomalacia.
Vitamin E: Vitamin E is one of four lipid-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, D and K).
Vitamin K: Your baby should receive a vitamin K injection or drops soon after birth.
Calcium: The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium in the UK is 700mg a day for adults and pregnant women.
Iron: Iron is involved in energy metabolism and the metabolism of drugs and foreign substances being removed by the body.
Magnesium: A low level of magnesium in the blood is common in people who are severely ill, alcoholics and those with malabsorption disorders.
Phosphorus: Phosphorus is a mineral required by the body. It is the second most abundant mineral in the body.
Sodium: Sodium makes up sodium chloride - otherwise known as salt.