Dietary and Supplement Treatment of Iron Deficiency Results in Improvements in General Health and Fatigue in Australian Women of Childbearing Age

Objective: To examine the effects of iron deficiency and its treatment by iron supplementation or a high iron diet on fatigue and general health measures in women of childbearing age.Design: Randomised controlled trial to compare supplement and dietary treatment of iron deficiency.Subjects: 44 iron deficient (serum ferritin 68 μmol/L or transferrin saturation 20 μg/L) women 18 to 50 years of age were matched for age and parity.Interventions: Iron deficient women were randomly allocated to either iron supplementation or a high iron diet for 12 weeks.Measures of Outcome: Iron deficient and iron replete participants had iron studies performed and completed the Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) and the SF-36 general health and well-being questionnaire at baseline (T0), following the 12 week intervention (T1) and again after a six-month...