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Sources of Iron: Diet, Supplemental, and Environmental

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Nutritional Anemia

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Abstract

Even though iron is abundant in nature, it is estimated that two billion people are iron deficient. An important reason for this apparent paradox is the low bioavailability of many iron compounds, with bioavailability ranging from <2% for certain ferric compounds to 40% for heme iron. Dietary sources of iron include foods consumed daily (the common dietary sources of iron) but also foods intentionally enriched with iron (fortified foods), vitamin and mineral supplements containing iron, or foods or drinks contaminated with iron. In this chapter, we have given an overview of these different sources of iron intake and their relevance for human nutrition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alimentation, Nutrition, Santé (ANS), UMR 267 – QualiSud, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Montpellier, France

    Frank T. Wieringa & Jacques Berger

  2. QualiSud, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, Institut Agro, IRD, Avignon Université, Université de La Réunion, Montpellier, France

    Frank T. Wieringa & Jacques Berger

  3. Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

    Marjoleine A. Dijkhuizen

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  1. Frank T. Wieringa
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  2. Marjoleine A. Dijkhuizen
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  3. Jacques Berger
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Correspondence to Frank T. Wieringa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Human Nutrition, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Crystal D. Karakochuk

  2. Institute of Food Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Michael B. Zimmermann

  3. Department of Health, University of Applied Sciences of South Switzerland (SUPSI) and Swiss Distance University of Applied Sciences (FFHS), Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Diego Moretti

  4. International Health, Sight and Life Foundation and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Basel, Switzerland

    Klaus Kraemer

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Wieringa, F.T., Dijkhuizen, M.A., Berger, J. (2022). Sources of Iron: Diet, Supplemental, and Environmental. In: Karakochuk, C.D., Zimmermann, M.B., Moretti, D., Kraemer, K. (eds) Nutritional Anemia. Nutrition and Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14521-6_10

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