The Effect of Iron Supplements on the Gut Microbiome of Females of Reproductive Age: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide, particularly for young children and females of reproductive age. Although oral iron supplements are routinely recommended and generally considered safe, iron supplementation has been shown to alter the fecal microbiota in low-income countries. Little is known about the effect of iron supplementation on the fecal microbiota in high-income settings.

Objectives: To assess the effect of oral iron supplementation compared with placebo on the gut microbiome in nonpregnant females of reproductive age in a high-income country.

Methods: A 21-d prospective parallel design double-blind, randomized control trial conducted in South Australia, Australia. Females (18-45 y) were randomly assigned to either iron (65.7 mg ferrous fumarate) or placebo. Fecal samples were collected prior to commencing supplements and after 21 d of supplementation. The primary outcome was microbiota β-diversity (paired-sample weighted unique fraction metric dissimilarity) between treatment and placebo groups after 21 d of supplementation. Exploratory outcomes included changes in the relative abundance of bacterial taxa.

Results: Of 82 females randomly assigned, 80 completed the trial. There was no significant difference between the groups for weighted unique fraction metric dissimilarity (mean difference: 0.003; 95% confidence interval: -0.007, 0.014; P = 0.52) or relative abundance of common bacterial taxa or Escherichia-Shigella (q > 0.05).

Conclusions: Iron supplementation did not affect the microbiome of nonpregnant females of reproductive age in Australia. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT05033483.

Keywords: Australia; iron; microbiota; randomized control trial; supplementation.