What's wrong with iron, man?

High iron intake may rust out your lungs, your bowels, and your pancreas, at least if you happen to be a rat from the South or an aging woman from Iowa.

Data from Tennessee rodents showed that dietary iron increased oxidative stress in feces (see previous post), and stressed out stools increases risk of DNA mutations and cancer in colon cells. Investigators have also found that postmenopausal women in the Iowa Women's Health Study were more likely to get lung cancer if they took vitamin C along with high dietary iron, colon cancer if they took extra iron with a diet high in fiber, and type 2 diabetes, especially if they drank alcohol.

I recommend multi-vitamins WITHOUT iron to all my postmenopausal patients and their pet rodents!