Over the last couple of decades, considerable evidence has amassed linking higher iron levels to heart disease, parkinson's disease, increased damage from strokes and other ailments. Only about 3% of men and 20% of women (50% of pregnant women) in the USA are iron deficient. The overwhelming majority of people who are not iron deficient do not benefit from additional iron intake and in fact are probably harmed. Yet most breakfast cereals continue to provide stiff doses of supplemental iron. For example, one serving of Post Grape Nuts provides 90% of the recommended daily requirement of iron and one serving of Kellogs Special K provides 100%.
So why do cereal producers ignore the evidence and continue to poison most of us with supplemental iron?
damage from strokes and other ailments. Only about 3% of men and 20% of women (50% of pregnant women) in the USA are iron deficient.
I think 20% of all women is quite a lot actually..
Why do they do it? For the same reason that every pharma company starts to extract, produce and market any and every chemical that has ever appeared in a study and showed a potentially vaguely beneficial result.. (no matter how unrelevant and uncomparable to in vivo situations/ no matter on the actual construction of the study undertaken): because people think it will help and they buy it.
