Answered question
Does vitamin C help iron absorption?
Does vitamin C help iron absorption?
Yes. Vitamin C converts non-heme iron from plant sources into a form your body absorbs more readily. Taking about 100 mg of vitamin C with an iron supplement or an iron-rich meal can meaningfully increase how much you absorb. The effect is largest for plant-based iron and people with low iron status.
The mechanism
Non-heme iron, the kind in spinach, beans, and most iron supplements, is absorbed less efficiently than heme iron from meat. Vitamin C reduces non-heme iron to its ferrous form and keeps it soluble in the gut, which raises uptake several-fold in controlled studies.
How to use this
Take iron with a glass of orange juice, with a vitamin C tablet, or with vitamin C-rich foods like peppers, citrus, or kiwi. Avoid coffee, tea, calcium, and dairy in the same window, because they all blunt iron absorption.