Add Vitamin C to Oral Iron?

Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia in the world and is typically treated with oral iron. However, oral iron's effectiveness can be limited by gastrointestinal adverse events and poor absorption. To enhance absorption, some clinicians advise concomitant vitamin C, but the clinical benefit of this approach is controversial. To address this, investigators conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis that included 1 cohort study (N=148) and 10 randomized controlled trials (N=1782) comparing iron supplementation with vitamin C to iron alone.

Patients who took vitamin C had statistically significant mean increases in hemoglobin (0.14 g/dL) and ferritin (3.23 µg/L), but the researchers concluded these changes were not clinically meaningful. The overall incidence of adverse events did not differ with and without the addition of vitamin C.