Iron Status of Vegetarian Adults: A Review of Literature
Pawlak R, et al • American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine
Key Finding
Female vegetarians: ferritin <12 µg/L prevalence 12-79%; inadequate hemoglobin 6-30.3%. Male vegetarians: ferritin <12 µg/L prevalence 1.7-29%
Key Findings
- 1Female vegetarians: ferritin <12 µg/L in 12-79%
- 2Female vegetarians: inadequate Hb in 6-30.3%
- 3Male vegetarians: ferritin <12 µg/L in 1.7-29%
- 4Premenopausal women at highest risk
Original title: “Iron Status of Vegetarian Adults: A Review of Literature”
Plain English Summary
Systematic review of 13 studies examining iron status among vegetarian adults. Findings indicate vegetarians, particularly females, show high prevalence of depleted iron stores and iron deficiency anemia compared to nonvegetarians, with ferritin <12 µg/L prevalence ranging from 12% to 79% in female vegetarians.
In-Depth Analysis
Abstract
"Vegetarians have a high prevalence of depleted iron stores," with particularly elevated risk among premenopausal women.
Methods
- •Design: Literature review using PubMed database
- •Search Terms: "vegetarian AND iron," "vegan AND hemoglobin," "vegetarian AND ferritin"
- •Sample: 13 original articles from 10 countries
- •Participants: Adults ≥18 years
Key Results
Female Vegetarians
- •Prevalence of ferritin <12 µg/L: 12% to 79%
- •Inadequate hemoglobin: 6% to 30.3%
- •Consistently higher than nonvegetarians across studies
Male Vegetarians
- •Ferritin <12 µg/L: 1.7% to 29%
- •Hemoglobin deficiency: 0% to 15.3%
Conclusions
The finding contradicts prior assumptions that iron deficiency anemia prevalence matches nonvegetarians. Premenopausal vegetarian women are at particularly elevated risk.
Paradigm Relevance
How this study applies to different clinical perspectives:
Standard Medical
Conventional clinical guidelines used by most doctors
Not directly relevant to this paradigm
Research Consensus
RelevantCurrent scientific understanding, often ahead of guidelines
Why it matters:
Establishes evidence that vegetarian women have elevated iron deficiency risk requiring monitoring
Metabolic Optimization
RelevantProactive targets for optimal health, not just disease absence
Why it matters:
Critical for dietary optimization—vegetarians need proactive iron status management
Study Details
- Type
- Systematic Review
- Methodology
- Literature review using PubMed database; 13 original articles from 10 countries; adults ≥18 years
Evidence Quality
Grade B - Systematic review. Source: PMC6367879
Related Biomarkers
Calculate & Evaluate on Metabolicum
Original Source
DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a permanent link to this publication. Unlike website URLs that can change, a DOI always resolves to the correct source.
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