Proposed dietary recommendations for iron overload: a guide for physician practice

Abstract

Purpose of review Iron overload disorders such as hemochromatosis involve unregulated absorption of dietary iron, leading to excessive iron accumulation in multiple organs. Phlebotomy is the standard of care for removal of excess iron, but dietary modification is not standardized in practice. The purpose of this article is to help standardize hemochromatosis diet counseling based on commonly asked patient questions. Recent findings The clinical benefit regarding dietary modification in iron overload patients is limited due to lack of large clinical trials, but preliminary results are promising. Recent studies suggest diet modification could reduce iron burden in hemochromatosis patients resulting in less annual phlebotomy as supported through small patient studies, concepts of physiology, and animal studies. Summary This article is a guide for physicians to counsel hemochromatosis patients based on commonly asked questions such as foods to avoid, foods to consume, use of alcohol, and use of supplements. The goal of this guide is to help standardize hemochromatosis diet counseling to reduce phlebotomy amount in patients. Standardization of diet counseling could help facilitate future patient studies to analyze the clinical significance.