Iron status of premenopausal women in a university community and its relationship to habitual dietary sources of protein.

Dietary intake and iron status was evaluated in 52 nonpregnant premenopausal women who were not using Fe supplements. Subjects were separated into three groups based on their habitual consumption of red meat (RM), fish and/or poultry (FP), or lacto-ovovegetarian (LV) sources of protein. No differences were observed among the groups in demographic characteristics (eg, age, height, weight, reported number of menstrual days per year) or total Fe intake. However, those women consuming red meat as their predominant source of protein demonstrated superior Fe status, especially reflected by higher serum ferritin concentrations (RM = 30.5 micrograms/L; FP = 15.6 micrograms/L; and LV = 19.1 micrograms/L). Thus, form rather than amount of dietary Fe appears to be most influential on Fe status; the basis for the distinctly lower Fe stores among heavy users of fish and/or poultry remains to be determined.