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Iron intake and multiple health outcomes: Umbrella review.

Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
January 1, 2023
Yin Huang et al. (11 authors)
Journal ArticleSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to systematically evaluate the relationships between iron intake (dietary and supplemental) and various health outcomes.

Results Summary

Heme iron intake was positively associated with adverse outcomes like colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease mortality, while dietary total iron intake showed protective effects against conditions such as colorectal adenoma and depression. Iron supplementation had mixed effects, being protective for some outcomes but associated with reduced growth metrics in others.

Population

Not specified (umbrella review of existing meta-analyses).

Effective Dosage

Not specified.

Duration

Not specified.

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (11)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Heme iron intake
increase
colorectal cancer
-
-
positively associated
#1
Heme iron intake
increase
type 2 diabetes mellitus
-
-
positively associated
#2
Heme iron intake
increase
cardiovascular disease mortality
-
-
positively associated
#3
Dietary total iron intake
decrease
colorectal adenoma
-
-
could decrease the risk
#4
Dietary total iron intake
decrease
esophageal cancer
-
-
could decrease the risk
#5
Dietary total iron intake
decrease
coronary heart disease
-
-
could decrease the risk
#6
Dietary total iron intake
decrease
depression
-
-
could decrease the risk
#7
Iron supplementation
decrease
eight outcomes
-
-
protective factor
#8
Iron supplementation
decrease
length
-
-
associated with decreased
#9
Iron supplementation
decrease
weight gain
-
-
associated with decreased
#10
High iron intake
increase
a range of outcomes
-
-
significantly associated
#11
Abstract

Iron is an essential trace element, while excess iron can lead to different levels of physical abnormalities or diseases. This umbrella review aimed to conduct a systematic evaluation of the possible relationships between iron intake and various health outcomes. We retrieved PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception through May 2021. A total of 34 meta-analyses with 46 unique health outcomes were identified. Heme iron intake was positively associated with nine outcomes, including colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease mortality, while dietary total iron intake could decrease the risk of colorectal adenoma, esophageal cancer, coronary heart disease, and depression. Iron supplementation was a protective factor against eight outcomes. However, it was associated with decreased length and weight gain. The quality of evidence for most outcomes was "low" or "very low" with the remaining eleven as "high" or "moderate". All outcomes were categorized as class III, IV, or NS based on evidence classification. Although high iron intake has been identified to be significantly associated with a range of outcomes, firm universal conclusions about its beneficial or negative effects cannot be drawn given the low quality of evidence for most outcomes.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
HumansDiabetes Mellitus, Type 2DietIronNutritional StatusSystematic Reviews as Topic
Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety65
Efficacy70/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations21
Citations/Year10.5
Relative Citation Ratio5.54
NIH Percentile94.1%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score2.86
Normalized Score0.69
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