Caffeine And Iron

[marikay]

Is it possible to block iron absorption with a caffeine supplement? Or is there something else in coffee that blocks iron? Thx.

 

[DaveFoster]

Yes and yes.

 

[BobbyDukes]

I would still like further clarification from Ray on the iron thing. There are people on this forum who think that coffee automatically blocks iron, but AFAIK this doesn't include heme iron. Maybe I'm wrong.

And also, if it's blocking absorption of iron, what else is it blocking? Zinc? Copper?

Inhibition of food iron absorption by coffee. - PubMed - NCBI

But then, this study suggests that it would block heme :)

 

[ecstatichamster]

Study also says coffee even decaf has this iron blocking effect. Not caffeine alone.

 

[michael94]

In addition to coffee, I believe one of the members here also had a good experience using cilantro to remove iron although I haven't found a specific study on that. Regardless it's worth trying since it's readily available at supermarkets, very inexpensive, and allows you to go by taste instincts!