The contribution of dietary iron to iron status in a group of elderly subjects.

Although it is widely accepted that body iron stores of elderly individuals are largely adequate, recent findings from our laboratory suggest that as many as 9% of a "healthy" sample showed signs of an inadequate body store of this nutrient. In an attempt to see if iron consumption may be a contributing factor, we compared dietary intakes of total iron, heme iron, nonheme iron, ascorbic acid, calcium, dietary fibre, tea and coffee between 19 healthy seniors with inadequate iron stores and 108 healthy seniors with good iron status. The daily consumption of total iron was significantly higher in those with good iron stores. Thus, dietary iron is an important contributor to iron status in old age.