Energy restriction and iron supplementation improve iron status in women with obesity regardless of red meat consumption: a randomized controlled trial

Iron deficiency without anemia (IDNA) may be linked to obesity-related inflammation. Weight reduction and heme-iron intake from red meat are proposed to improve iron status. This randomized controlled trial (NCT06104800) assessed the impact of a low-calorie, high-protein diet with red meat (RM) compared to a low-calorie, high-protein diet without red meat (WR) over 60 days on iron concentrations in women with obesity and IDNA receiving oral iron supplementation. Fifty-two females were randomized (26 per group); 45 completed the study. After intervention, serum iron increased for both groups: RM 55.8 ± 27.0 µg/dL to 69.8 ± 30.5 µg/dL, p = 0.05; WR 65.3 ± 28.4 µg/dL to 76.8 ± 45.6 µg/dL, p = 0.27. However, group-by-time analysis showed no significant differences between dietary interventions (p = 0.55). Additional significant improvements (p < 0.05) in secondary and exploratory outcomes included ferritin, transferrin, unsaturated iron-binding capacity, uric acid, and fat mass. In conclusion, no statistically significant benefit of red meat consumption over other dietary iron sources, when combined with oral iron supplementation, was demonstrated for improving iron status in women with obesity and IDNA.

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Journal
Scientific Reports
Published
2026-05-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-53056-8
Primary Topic
Nutritional Studies and Diet
Type
article
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article

Energy restriction and iron supplementation improve iron status in women with obesity regardless of red meat consumption: a randomized controlled trial

Salvador Ortíz‐Gutiérrez, Héctor Infante-Sierra, Natalia Vázquez-Manjarrez, Ana Vigil‐Martínez et al.
Scientific Reports
Nutritional Studies and Diet
article

Energy restriction and iron supplementation improve iron status in women with obesity regardless of red meat consumption: a randomized controlled trial

Salvador Ortíz‐Gutiérrez, Héctor Infante-Sierra, Natalia Vázquez-Manjarrez, Ana Vigil‐Martínez, Berenice Palacios‐González, Adriana Flores‐Lopez, Azalia Ávila-Nava, Adriana M. López‐Barradas, Rocío Guizar-Heredia, Aurora E Serralde-Zúñiga, Brenda Pacheco-Hernández, Karla G. Hernández-Gómez, Luis E. González-Salazar, Emma Chávez-Manzanera, Ana Ligia Gutiérrez-Solis, J. Gerardo Reyes-García, Nimbe Torres, Andrea Díaz-Villaseñor, Martha Guevara-Cruz, Angélica Borja-Magno, M. Guadalupe Estrada-Trujillo, Edgar Pichardo-Ontiveros, Isabel Medina-Vera, Armando R. Tovar, Laura A. Velázquez-Villegas, Elena Tuna-Aguilar, Mariana Villegas-Romero
article en

Abstract

Iron deficiency without anemia (IDNA) may be linked to obesity-related inflammation. Weight reduction and heme-iron intake from red meat are proposed to improve iron status. This randomized controlled trial (NCT06104800) assessed the impact of a low-calorie, high-protein diet with red meat (RM) compared to a low-calorie, high-protein diet without red meat (WR) over 60 days on iron concentrations in women with obesity and IDNA receiving oral iron supplementation. Fifty-two females were randomized (26 per group); 45 completed the study. After intervention, serum iron increased for both groups: RM 55.8 ± 27.0 µg/dL to 69.8 ± 30.5 µg/dL, p = 0.05; WR 65.3 ± 28.4 µg/dL to 76.8 ± 45.6 µg/dL, p = 0.27. However, group-by-time analysis showed no significant differences between dietary interventions (p = 0.55). Additional significant improvements (p < 0.05) in secondary and exploratory outcomes included ferritin, transferrin, unsaturated iron-binding capacity, uric acid, and fat mass. In conclusion, no statistically significant benefit of red meat consumption over other dietary iron sources, when combined with oral iron supplementation, was demonstrated for improving iron status in women with obesity and IDNA.

Scientific Reports
Mexican Social Security Institute (MX), Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán (MX), Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad del Bajío (MX), Instituto Nacional de Pediatria (MX), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (ES), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (MX), Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers (MX), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX)
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Nutritional Studies and Diet
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