Adapted from BMJ 23 September 2023
Women have long been advised to take iron supplements with orange juice to increase iron absorption. This is mainly done through the years of menstruation and particularly in pregnancy and the post partum months.
A study was done using radioactively labelled iron to establish how effective or not this advice was.
Women with low iron levels were divided into three groups. Iron with orange juice, with coffee, and with a breakfast that included both orange juice and coffee.
Taking iron with just orange juice increased the iron absorption by four times the amount by taking it with coffee or a breakfast with both coffee and orange juice.
You can increase the absorption by 20mg per dose by doing this.
Another use for iron supplementation is in older people who get leg cramps. Sometimes iron deficiency is the cause, and they will benefit from this advice as well.
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