I take a multivitamin to supplement my diet. I have read, on a couple of occasions (don’t ask me where), that men should use a multivitamin which does not contain iron. The reason, if I remember correctly, was that men could get their RDA of iron from their normal diet. Is this true?
Men who eat red meats, iron-rich whole grains and green leafy vegetables can probably meet their iron RDA (10 milligrams per day). Men do not lose iron except through the gut, unlike women who through their monthly menses lose iron and therefore have a higher iron RDA (18 milligrams per day).
There has been some recent research suggesting that iron fortification of foods may not be necessary and may increase a man’s risk of heart attack since men do not normally lose blood.
