Does Vitamin C Improve Response to Oral Iron Therapy?

A gastric acid milieu facilitates intestinal iron absorption. For patients with iron deficiency anemia who are treated with oral iron, some authorities recommend that ascorbic acid (vitamin C) be taken along with iron. Although evidence suggests that vitamin C enhances iron absorption, the clinical value of this practice is unclear. In a randomized trial from China, researchers assigned 440 patients with documented iron deficiency anemia to receive either ferrous succinate (100 mg) plus vitamin C (200 mg) three times daily or ferrous succinate alone. Nearly all participants were young women with menorrhagia as the cause of iron deficiency.

At baseline, mean hemoglobin was 8.8 g/dL; during 8 weeks of follow-up, hemoglobin increased by 4 mg/dL…