Does the Mediterranean diet guarantee the maintenance of physiological levels of iron and ferritin even without meat? Is it possible to avoid iron deficiencies by consuming fish, eggs, dairy products and legumes or are supplements necessary?
He replies Elena Dogliottinutritional biologist and scientific supervisor for the Veronesi Foundation (GO TO THE FORUM)
Meanwhile, a clarification: the Mediterranean diet does not include the absence of meat, but consuming a maximum of two portions of red meat per week and as little as possible of processed meat, with a maximum of one serving per week. It also includes the consumption of White meat, one or two servings a week. However, in reference to a diet that excludes meat, there is no evidence that this eating style can lead to greater iron deficiencies in the general population.
Metabolic inflammation
Several studies have compared people who followed omnivorous and vegetarian diets (lacto-ovo, no fish), finding a greater risk of anemia only in vegetarian women of childbearing age, therefore with an active menstrual cycle. Ferritin levels in vegetarians are lower on average, but compared to omnivores, vegetarians have a more preserved antioxidant state and, consequently, less metabolic inflammation and greater insulin sensitivity, which could explain the lower ferritin levels. In fact, it is known that ferritin is a protein that can increase even independently of the amount of iron we take in the diet, for example with overweight, obesity, hepatic steatosis, insulin resistanceall conditions that can lead to metabolic inflammation.
Advice for women of childbearing age
Therefore, followers of the Mediterranean diet and vegetarians are generally no more likely to suffer from iron deficiency than those who consume a lot of meat. The only exception: vegetarian and vegan women of childbearing age, who could more easily encounter the problem. For them it is therefore even more advisable to combine foods that contain more iron with those that increase its availability, especially “non-heme” iron (less available than “-heme” which is present in particular in meat). Therefore, foods such as citrus fruits, kiwis, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers and others rich in vitamin C, citric acid and other organic acids are good. Associations with other foods such as dairy products, chocolate, coffee and tea containing phytates, polyphenols and calciumwhich instead inhibit its absorption.
