Iron deficiency is a cause of Vitamin D deficiency

Created February 2013

IRON Summary

  • Human body needs Iron, especially the liver, which also processes Vitamin D

  • Primary Iron sources: meat ,supplements, plants (if vitamin C also in the meal)

  • Iron deficiency is very common around the world

    • especially. pregnant, dark skin, vegans, living in developing countries
  • Low-cost Iron supplements cause mild nausea in some people
    • there are several high-cost Iron supplements which have much less nausea
  • Iron and Vitamin D are synergistic
    • increasing one often increases the other
    • low levels of one associated with low levels of the other
    • the synergism occurs even without clinical deficiency of either one

  • Women who are not menstruating (oral contraceptives or age) have more Iron and more vitamin D

  • Iron is depleted by a wide variety of drugs, Calcium, Magnesium, Coffee, Tea, etc.

    Note also

  • Vitamin D non-responding infants become responders after Iron supplementation

  • This page had just been a Hypothesis before June 2016

Heme iron polypeptide (HIP) - appears to be the best form

See also Vitamin D Life

Bidirectional Relationship Between Iron and Vitamin D - Perplexity AI April 2025

đź“„ Report

  • "The activation of vitamin D requires two hydroxylation steps, both performed by cytochrome P450 mixed-function oxidases (CYPs). These enzymes are iron-dependent, requiring heme as a cofactor for their function."

  • "Vitamin D and iron deficiency are two of the most common nutrient deficiencies worldwide. Approximately 23% and 52% of children living in Africa are estimated to have vitamin D and iron deficiency, respectively. Studies have found that these deficiencies frequently coexist, suggesting common risk factors or potential interactions between the nutrients."

  • "Understanding the relationship between iron and vitamin D suggests that addressing both deficiencies may be more effective than targeting either in isolation"

    • Elsewhere: newborns who did not respond to Vitamin d supplementation did so after getting Iron supplementation

items of the IRON articles in Vitamin D Life

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See also web

  • Influences of Vitamin D and Iron Status on Skeletal Muscle Health: A Narrative Review - June 2022 FREE PDF

  • Iron, iodine and vitamin D deficiencies during pregnancy: epidemiology, risk factors and developmental impacts - May 2021 FREE PDF

  • Serum Ferritin, Vitamin D and Pathological Factors in Breast Cancer Patients - Dec 2021 FREE PDF

  • Vitamin D requires iron aid, and both are often lacking Nutrition ATC May 2012

    • Conversion of vitamin D in the liver is reduced if there is not enough Iron
    • iron is the most commonly deficient nutrient around the world, including the United States
  • Micronutrient deficiencies World Health Organization
    • Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in the world.
    • Iodine deficiency is the world’s most prevalent, yet easily preventable, cause of brain damage.
  • Effect of iron on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D concentrations.
    • Am J Clin Nutr. 1992 Sep;56(3):533-6.
    • 13 infants with iron-deficiency anemia, 9 of the 13 had vitamin D levels < 10ng
    • Treated infants with intramuscular iron
    • BOTH serum Iron and vitamin D increased
    • Some of the infants had previously been non-responders to vitamin D supplementation

  • PDF is attached at the bottom of this page

  • Prevalence and risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in children with iron deficiency anemia

    • PubMed Korea, June 2012, full text online
    • Studied 79 children with Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA)
    • 5X more likely to have vitamin D deficiency if have IDA and were < 2 years old
  • Relationship between vitamin D deficiency, bone remodeling and iron status in iron-deficient young women consuming an iron-fortified food.- Eur J Nutr. 2012 May 23.
    • 41 iron-deficient menstruating women. 92 % were vitamin D insufficient
    • Random Controlled Trial: half got fruit juice fortified with iron
    • Transferrin saturation and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were positively correlated.
    • The recovery of iron status by consuming an iron-fortified food does not affect 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels; however, the increase in iron supply to tissues is lower if the women also present vitamin D deficiency.
  • Low vitamin D levels raise anemia risk in children Medical XPress Oct 2013
    • 2X more likely if < 30 ng, Black children had higher rates of anemia compared with white children (14 percent vs. 2 percent)
  • Vitamin D, race, and risk for anemia in children. Jan 2013
    • 1.9X more likely if < 30 ng
  • Association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D with anemia risk in patients scheduled for cardiac surgery May 2013
    • "'demonstrates an independent association between vitamin D status and anemia risk"
  • Vitamin D deficiency and anemia: a cross-sectional study - Oct 2009
  • Craving Ice? You Could Have an Iron Deficiency Mercola Nov 2016
    • Ice reduces Anemia symptoms. Craving = more than 1 month of eating ice
    • Also mentions association between Anemia and low vitamin D
  • Iron Deficiency Anemia Tied to Hearing Loss NYT Jan 2017

Hypothesis of interactions between Iron and Vitamin C - 2016

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Bonnie and Clyde: Vitamin C and iron are partners in crime in iron deficiency anemia and its potential role in the elderly.

Aging (Albany NY). 2016 May;8(5):1150-2. doi: 10.18632/aging.100966.

Lane DJ1, Jansson PJ1, Richardson DR1.

1Department of Pathology and Bosch Institute, Molecular Pharmacology and Pathology Program, Blackburn Building, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia.

đź“„ Download the PDF from Vitamin D Life

Vegetarians and vegans have less vitamin D in blood: Less Iron?

Plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans: results from the EPIC-Oxford study.

Strongly suspect the reason for the results found is: Vegetarian/Vegan ==> Decreased Iron ==> Decreased Liver ability to process vitamin D

  • Meat: 124 IU daily ==>31 ng

  • V/V: 28 IU daily ==>22 ng

That is: increase of 100 IU ==> increase of 10 ngBut, other studies show that need 400 IU to 800 IU ==> 10ng
Options for Vegetarians/Vegans include:

  1. Supplement with Iron (such as with the patented Iron supplement at the bottom of this page)

  2. Eat vegetables along with vitamin C - which increases the amount of Iron available from plants.

  3. Supplement with vitamin D3 (Three companies sell Vegan D3)

  4. Spend more time in the sun or with a UV lamp

  5. How you might double your response to vitamin D

Iron Deficiency material follows

Iron Deficiency Guide has the following venn diagram

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What Is Iron-Deficiency Anemia? NIH

  • About 1 in 5 women of childbearing age has iron-deficiency anemia.

  • About half of all pregnant women develop iron-deficiency anemia.

    • The condition can increase a pregnant woman's risk for a premature or low-birth-weight baby.
Iron Deficiency Anemia American Family Physician, March 2007

full text on-line

The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia

  • 2 % in adult men,

  • 7.1 % in white women:

  • 9 to 12 % in non-Hispanic white women,

  • nearly 20 % in black and Mexican-American women.

  • 40 % of vegans 19 to 50 years of age

Iron Therapy Organization online textbook: contents

  • Introduction: Iron Deficiency and Iron Therapy

  • Ch.1: Iron Metabolism

  • Ch.2: Management of Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy and the Postpartum

  • Ch.3: Iron Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

  • Ch.4: Intravenous Iron Therapy in the Perisurgical Setting as an Alternative to Red Blood Cell Transfusions

  • Ch.5: Iron Therapy in Chronic Heart Failure (CHF)

  • Ch.6: Iron Therapy in Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

  • Ch.7: Iron Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis

  • Ch.8: Iron Therapy in the Critically Ill

  • Ch.9: Iron Therapy in Pediatrics

  • Ch.10: Iron Therapy in the Oncology Setting

Note: Less iron in diet in recent decades due to

  • No longer cooking in iron pots

  • Eating less red meat

  • 1981 theory proposed that Iron could increase CVD – never confirmed or refuted.

  • Drinking more milk Milk decreases iron while increasing vitamin

The American Dietetic Association’s COMPLETE FOOD & NUTRITION GUIDE, 2nd ed. 2002. USDA National Nutrient Database

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Reminder - Heme iron from meat is about 3X more available to the liver than Iron from plant sources

Decreasing Iron in the blood (US CDC 2002)

Iron Deficiency

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Iron Deficiency anemia

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Iron-Deficiency Anemia - How to Get the Most Iron Out of Your Diet and Supplements EZIneArticles July 2012

There are MANY medical drugs that deplete Iron from the body. Some of the categories are:

Antacids: such as those used to reduce stomach acidity, GERD, etc.

Antibiotics: cephalosporins, penicillins, tetracyclines, etc.

Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: ibuprofen, steroids, etc.

Blood Pressure Lowering Drugs: calcium-channel blockers, ACE-Inhibitors, and others.

Diuretics: "water pills", > And the list goes on...

Some of the commonly-used natural supplements that deplete Iron by binding to it either in the blood or digestive tract:

Calcium, > Magnesium, > Artichoke, > Cascara sagrada, > Chamomile, > CoQ10, > And the list goes on...

Some foods and drinks that deplete Iron:

Dairy products, > Coffee, > Tea, > Alcohol & Wines

Notes on P.P.I.

  • Proton Pump Inhibitors : Acid Suppression with a Nutritional Cost June 2014
    • Long term use of P.P.I. (years) reduces stomach acid such that both Iron and vitamin B12 must be supplemented
  • Combating Acid Reflux May Bring Host of Ills NYT June 2012
    • . . third highest-selling class of drugs in the US, $13.9 billion in prescription sales in 2010
    • "P.P.I.’s work by blocking the production of acid in the stomach, but the body reacts by overcompensating and, she said, “revving up production” of acid-making cells. “You get excess growth of those cells in the stomach, so when you unblock production, you have more of the acid-making machinery,” she said."
  • Omeprazole & Iron Deficiency Anemia Feb 2014
    • "Patients taking omeprazole for chronic stomach disorders may require iron injections to prevent iron deficiency anemia."
  • Smoking Gun for Stomach Drugs Mercola, June 2016
    • "PPI medications are designed to inhibit the proton pump and reduce the amount of acid produced. PPIs do not specifically target the cells in your stomach, and stomach acid is usually not the primary trigger behind chronic heartburn."
    • "PPIs may reduce acid between 90 and 95 percent, increasing your risk of salmonella, c. difficile, giardia and listeria infections"

Iron Deficiency and Anemia, Causes, Consequences, and Solutions Excellent

Parul Christian, International Nutrition, 2005 đź“„ Download the PDF from Vitamin D Life

Example image: Prevalence of Anemia (Iron anemia being the largest cause)

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Anemia varies with age and sex

Effects of Iron on Vitamin D Metabolism: A Systematic Review - Dec 2016

đź“„ Download the PDF from Vitamin D Life

Short URL = http://is.gd/anemiaVitD

Tags: Details Iron Liver