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Evidence suggests Iron mayincreaseWorking memory.
10 studies (13 claims)
Moderate consensus
Typical effective dose 50 (31–65) mgacross 3 dosed studies
Study Claims
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Type | Population | Dosage | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iron-biofortified beans | Increases - significant improvements | sensitivity and efficiency of memory retrieval | Human | 55 women aged 18-27 y with low iron status (serum ferritin <20 µg/L) | Daily consumption of iron-biofortified beans (86.1 ppm iron) vs. comparison beans (50.1 ppm iron). | Changes in Iron Status Are Related to Changes in Brain Activity and Behavior in Rwandan Female University Students: Results from a Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial Involving Iron-Biofortified Beans.cited 21× |
| iron supplementation | No effect - no significant effects on | long-term memory | Human | children and adolescents | Not specified in the abstract. | Effect of Oral Iron Supplementation on Cognitive Function among Children and Adolescents in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.cited 7× |
| iron supplementation | No effect - no significant effects on | short-term memory | Human | children and adolescents | Not specified in the abstract. | Effect of Oral Iron Supplementation on Cognitive Function among Children and Adolescents in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.cited 7× |
| iron supplementation | No effect - had no effect | memory | Human | — | Not specified | The effects of oral iron supplementation on cognition in older children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.cited 156× |
| iron supplementation | Increases - significantly improved | memory | Human | school-age children | Not specified | Effects of iron supplementation on cognitive development in school-age children: Systematic review and meta-analysis.cited 13× |
| iron supplementation | Increases - had better outcomes | memory | Human | iron-supplemented children who were anemic at baseline | Not specified | Effects of iron supplementation on cognitive development in school-age children: Systematic review and meta-analysis.cited 13× |
| iron supplementation | Increases - appeared to improve | memory and intellectual ability | Human | participants aged between 12 and 55 years | Not specified | Increasing iron and zinc in pre-menopausal women and its effects on mood and cognition: a systematic review.cited 24× |
| iron supplementation | Increases - improved | verbal and nonverbal learning and memory | Human | children with poor iron and n-3 FA status | 50 mg iron, 4 times per week. | Effects of iron and n-3 fatty acid supplementation, alone and in combination, on cognition in school children: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention in South Africa.cited 70× |
| iron supplementation | Increases - improved | verbal and nonverbal learning and memory | Human | children with anemia | 50 mg iron, 4 times per week. | Effects of iron and n-3 fatty acid supplementation, alone and in combination, on cognition in school children: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention in South Africa.cited 70× |
| iron exposures | No effect - associations between | mood, emotion, cognition, and memory | Human | children | Not mentioned | Excess iron: considerations related to development and early growth.cited 54× |
| perinatal iron deficiency | Decreases - have been shown to have | impaired recognition memory | Human | Children | Not available | Iron and Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants: A Narrative Review.cited 15× |
| iron-fortified formula (12 mg/L) | Decreases - had lower scores than those randomized to low-iron formula | visual memory | Human | adolescents (previously infants from 6 to 12 months of age) | Iron-fortified formula (12 mg/L) vs. low-iron formula (2.3 mg/L) for 6 months. | Randomized Controlled Trial of Iron-Fortified versus Low-Iron Infant Formula: Developmental Outcomes at 16 Years.cited 24× |
| iron treatment | Increases - differences in | Memory and Attention scores | Human | iron-deficient participants | 60 mg or 80 mg elemental iron daily. | A study of the effects of latent iron deficiency on measures of cognition: a pilot randomised controlled trial of iron supplementation in young women.cited 22× |
| iron treatment | Increases - differences in | Memory and Attention scores | Human | iron-deficient participants on iron treatment | 60 mg or 80 mg elemental iron daily. | A study of the effects of latent iron deficiency on measures of cognition: a pilot randomised controlled trial of iron supplementation in young women.cited 22× |