Often prescribed in addition to iron to promote its absorption, vitamin C would have no effect in patients suffering from anemia.
- The study, which followed 440 adult patients suffering from iron deficiency for 8 weeks, shows that vitamin C supplementation did not give significant results in the absorption of iron by the body.
Occurring in cases of iron deficiency, iron deficiency anemia is characterized by a decrease in the number of red blood cells in the blood or their hemoglobin content. This is followed by intense fatigue, a pale complexion and pronounced shortness of breath on exertion.
To improve the hemoglobin level in patients suffering from iron deficiency anemia, it is common to prescribe, in addition to iron supplementation, vitamin C to promote its absorption. But, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Fudan University in Shagain (China) and published in JAMAthe addition of vitamin C to iron supplementation does not improve hemoglobin recovery or iron absorption in patients with iron deficiency anemia.
Vitamin C supplementation “not essential”
To reach this conclusion, the researchers compared the equivalence and assessed the safety of oral iron supplements plus vitamin C or oral iron supplements alone in patients with iron deficiency anemia.
As part of their work, they recruited 440 adult patients recently diagnosed with anemia: in men, the hemoglobin level was less than 13 g/dL, and it was less than 12 g/dL for women. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 100 mg oral iron supplements every 8 hours, with or without 200 mg vitamin C supplementation.
The researchers then found that at the start of the study and after two weeks of follow-up, the average change in hemoglobin level was 2.00 g/dL in the group receiving oral iron supplements as well as vitamin C, compared to 1.84 g/dL in the group receiving only oral iron supplements.
After 8 weeks of follow-up, the mean change in serum ferritin level was 35.75 ng/mL in the group that received vitamin C and iron, and 34.48 ng/mL in the group that received iron uniquely.
“Among patients with iron deficiency anemia, oral iron supplements alone were equivalent to oral iron supplements plus vitamin C in improving hemoglobin recovery and iron absorption”say the authors of the study, who therefore believe that vitamin C supplementation “is not essential” oral iron intake for anemic patients.
Asked by the site Futura Science about this study, general practitioner Sébastien Démange believes that the results will not change his practice. “It always seems relevant to me to indicate the sources of vitamin C to be consumed during meals to improve iron absorption, to continue to prescribe supplements, when necessary, associated with vitamin C because patients sometimes tolerate the supplement better of iron during a meal. There does not seem to be any risk in combining these two elements so, at best, it is useful (taken during meals), at worst it does not harm.