The Potential Hidden Danger in Your Cereal: Iron


We all know iron is something we need to stay healthy and prevent anemia.  But did you know that too much dietary iron can hurt your health? When choosing a cereal, most people grab what tastes good.  If they are health conscious,  cereals low in calories and sugar and high in fiber might be selected.

One of the main problems with iron fortification in cereal is that the cereal is fortified for the part of the population that needs the most iron-namely women of childbearing age.  So, listen up adult males and older women: you, in particular, need to be mindful of the iron content of your favorite breakfast cereal.  When looking at a Nutrition Fact Label, note the percentage of DV iron. Looking at the above label, if a young female of child-bearing age has a 3/4 cup serving of Wheat Chex, she will be consuming 80% of her iron requirements (or about 14 grams of iron).  However, if an adult male or older woman eats 3/4 cup of the above cereal, he/she will be consuming almost double the iron recommendation of 8 grams of iron.  The fact that so much of our food supply is fortified with iron increases the risk that this hefty load of iron in a single serving of breakfast cereal could be problematic.

What exactly is the problem with eating too much iron?  Research has suggested the following:

Accelerated aging process?  Researchers recently pointed this out in worms, and will likely try to evaluate if this applies to humans;  in the interim, we already know that iron causes oxidative stress, which as far as the human body is concerned, is a negative event!  Oxidative stress in humans is thought to be involved in the development of many diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Constipation.  Aside from being unpleasant, this is not healthy for your body.   Any toxins or food pathogens present in your food will linger in your gastrointestinal tract, and potentially threaten your overall health. There is also scientific evidence that constipation can be a risk factor for colorectal cancer.

Healthy people make a hormone, hepcidin, which swings into action to prevent too much iron from being absorbed. However, in a now common genetic condition called iron overload (or technically Hemochromatosis), the body is unable to put the brakes on iron absorption and iron begins to build up in the tissues. Early symptoms are varied and include fatigue, abdominal pain, and increased infections.  Later symptoms include liver failure and heart failure, and bone damage, and diabetes.

For those as yet undiagnosed people who are at particular risk from too much dietary iron, the iron content of generous servings of cereal are particularly troublesome.  For the rest of the males and older women, reading the nutrition fact label can help you keep your iron intake where it belongs-which is significantly less than noted on the label of most cereals on today’s supermarket shelves.

Have a favorite breakfast cereal which is low in iron? Please share for the next updated blog on which are the best low iron cereal options on the market.