12/10/2018
How does vitamin C help iron absorption?
Just watched BBC's health program which discusses iron absorption this time. Most bioavailable iron comes from red meat. Although some plants (cabbage or broccoli) are iron rich, they are not as bioavailable as red meat regarding iron. Cooking is one reason which most vegetables lose iron in the first place. However, spinach is one exception. When cooked, the iron bioavailability increases by 55%! This is because iron is bound to oxalate in raw spinach. Cooking/boiling releases the iron from the oxalate. How wonderful for a spinach fan to know this tip!
Another thing I learned is that iron comes in the form of enriched food such as flour, cereal and so on is not very bioavailable. Well, how naive I was thinking that just because it's in the food it will get absorbed fine?!
One recommendation to help iron absorption is to have vitamin C at the same time. For instance, drinking orange juice while having breakfast cereal (maybe hubby is on to something!). The reason why vitamin C helps iron absorption is two folds. First, vitamin C prevent iron forming unabsorable complex. Secondly, perhaps more crucially, it reduces ferric ion to ferrous which is the bioavailable form of iron.
Oh, coffee, unfortunately, prevents iron absorption. The reason being the polyphenols in coffee trap iron which becomes unavailable. Something to think about for a coffee drinker like me.
I love chemistry.
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