Vitamin C

Does vitamin C help your body absorb iron?

Updated 3 Nov 2026

Short answer

Yes, from a meal: vitamin C helps the gut absorb nonheme iron, the iron in plant foods.[1] In a test meal, 31 mg of vitamin C raised iron absorption by 56% in women of normal weight, but by only 28% in women with overweight or obesity.[2] A trial gave 440 adults with iron deficiency anemia a 100 mg iron tablet every 8 hours for 3 months, with or without 200 mg of vitamin C.[3] The vitamin C did not raise hemoglobin or ferritin more than iron alone.[3]

Sources (3)

  1. Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. ods.od.nih.gov
  2. In overweight and obese women, dietary iron absorption is reduced and the enhancement of iron absorption by ascorbic acid is one-half that in normal-weight women. Cepeda-Lopez AC, Melse-Boonstra A, Zimmermann MB, Herter-Aeberli I Am J Clin Nutr, 2015. PMID 26561622
  3. The Efficacy and Safety of Vitamin C for Iron Supplementation in Adult Patients With Iron Deficiency Anemia: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Li N, Zhao G, Wu W, Zhang M, Liu W, Chen Q, et al. JAMA Netw Open, 2020. PMID 33136134

More about vitamin c

What is vitamin C?How much vitamin C do you need a day?What is vitamin C used for?What are the signs of vitamin C deficiency?Is vitamin C safe?Does vitamin C prevent or shorten colds?

For education; not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before you start, stop or change a supplement.