Iron in diet

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Overview

Food Sources

Recommendations

Side Effects

Iron in diet

Alternative Names:

Diet - iron

Recommendations:

According to USDA recommendations, the allowances of dietary iron intake are as follows:

Males and females
- Younger than 6 months: 6 mg
- 6 months to 1 year: 10 mg
- 1 to10 years: 10 mg
Males
- 11 to 18 years: 12 mg
- 19 and older: 10 mg
Females
- 11 to 50: 15 mg
- 51 and older: 10 mg
- Pregnant: 30 mg
- Lactating: 15 mg

Any male or postmenopausal female with iron deficiency should be evaluated by a health care provider to rule out whether the problem may be due to a more serious gastrointestinal cause, such as ulcers, polyps, or tumors.

Review Date: 10/27/2004
Reviewed By: Kevin Pho, M.D., Attending, Internal Medicine, Boston VA Medical Center, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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