View source for Draft:Iron

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== Fact Sheet ==

=== Summary ===
Studies show that those who eat meatless diets are no more at risk of iron deficiency than meat-eaters,<ref name="saunders">Saunders, Angela V., Winston J. Craig, Surinder K. Baines, and Jennifer S. Posen. “Iron and Vegetarian Diets.” The Medical Journal of Australia 199, no. S4 (19 2013): S11-16.</ref> and may even have higher iron levels.<ref name="farmer">Farmer, Bonnie, Brian T. Larson, Victor L. Fulgoni, Alice J. Rainville, and George U. Liepa. “A Vegetarian Dietary Pattern as a Nutrient-Dense Approach to Weight Management: An Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004.” Journal of the American Dietetic Association 111, no. 6 (June 2011): 819–27. Accessed February 7, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2011.03.012.</ref> Furthermore, heme iron (the type found in meat) has been linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease<ref>Hunnicutt, Jacob, Ka He, and Pengcheng Xun. “Dietary Iron Intake and Body Iron Stores Are Associated with Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in a Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.” The Journal of Nutrition 144, no. 3 (March 1, 2014): 359–66. Accessed February 7, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.113.185124.</ref> and lung cancer.<ref>Lam, Tram Kim, Melissa Rotunno, Brid M. Ryan, Angela C. Pesatori, Pier Alberto Bertazzi, Margaret Spitz, Neil E. Caporaso, and Maria Teresa Landi. “Heme-Related Gene Expression Signatures of Meat Intakes in Lung Cancer Tissues.” Molecular Carcinogenesis 53, no. 7 (July 2014): 548–56. Accessed February 7, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/mc.22006.</ref> In contrast, non-heme iron has not been linked to any diseases.

=== Context ===
* Iron is an essential mineral used to transport oxygen through the body.<ref name="nih">“Office of Dietary Supplements - Iron.” Accessed February 7, 2020. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/.</ref>
* Many people believe that red meat is the only good source of iron, despite the fact that there are several excellent plant-based sources.<ref name="nih"/> Research has also suggested that non-heme iron (the type found in plants) may be less well absorbed than heme iron (found in meat).<ref>Hurrell, Richard, and Ines Egli. “Iron Bioavailability and Dietary Reference Values.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 91, no. 5 (May 1, 2010): 1461S-1467S. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.2010.28674F.</ref> This has led to claims that vegans are at risk of iron deficiency.

=== Evidence ===
<-- research and expert testimonials showing that plant-based diets are sufficient, and that heme-iron has risks, and addressing the increased risk of iron deficiency for vegans (is it true? It might be.) -->

* Studies show that those who eat meatless diets are no more at risk of iron deficiency than meat-eaters,<ref name="saunders"/> and may even have higher iron levels.<ref name="farmer"/>
* Research suggests that each milligram of heme iron consumed daily increases the risk of heart disease by 27 percent,<ref>Yang, Wei, Bin Li, Xiao Dong, Xiao-Qiang Zhang, Yuan Zeng, Jian-Liang Zhou, Yan-Hua Tang, and Jian-Jun Xu. “Is Heme Iron Intake Associated with Risk of Coronary Heart Disease? A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.” European Journal of Nutrition 53, no. 2 (March 2014): 395–400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-013-0535-5.</ref> Type 2 diabetes by 16 percent,<ref>Bao, Wei, Ying Rong, Shuang Rong, and Liegang Liu. “Dietary Iron Intake, Body Iron Stores, and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” BMC Medicine 10, no. 1 (December 2012): 119. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-10-119.</ref> and cancer by up to 12 percent.<ref>Fonseca-Nunes, A., P. Jakszyn, and A. Agudo. “Iron and Cancer Risk--A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Epidemiological Evidence.” Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 23, no. 1 (January 1, 2014): 12–31. Accessed February 7, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-13-0733.</ref> Heme iron consumption has also been shown to increase stroke risk.<ref>Kaluza, Joanna, Alicja Wolk, and Susanna C. Larsson. “Heme Iron Intake and Risk of Stroke: A Prospective Study of Men.” Stroke 44, no. 2 (February 2013): 334–39. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.112.679662.</ref>

=== Conflicting Claims ===
<-- major sources of conflicting claims and why they are false or dubious -->

=== Dietary Guidelines ===
<-- summarize guidelines. should we supplement, if so when? are supplements dangerous?

=== Sources of Iron ===
<-- foods, supplements -->

== See Also ==
* [https://veganhealth.org/iron Iron - Vegan Health] 
* [https://www.pcrm.org/search?keys=iron PCRM articles on iron]
* [https://nutritionfacts.org/?s=iron NutritionFacts.org videos on iron.]

== Plain Text ==
 
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== Footnotes ==
<references />

== Meta ==

This fact sheet was originally authored by  ??? with contributions by [[User:Greg.Fuller|Greg Fuller]]. The contents may have been edited since that time by others.
 
{{jfa-meta
| meta-title = Iron
| meta-keywords = veganism, diet, iron
| meta-description = This fact sheet supports the assertion that iron from animal sources is not necessary and may be harmful to health.
}}

[[Category:Fact Sheet]]
[[Category:Health]]