Africa: Tiktok Users Claim a Cast Iron ‘Fish’ Can Help With a Mineral Deficiency – but It’s Not Quite That Simple

Iron deficiency is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies in the world.

Iron deficiency is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies in the world. While eating iron-rich foods is the best way to tackle an iron deficiency, some users on social media say there’s an even easier way to get more iron in your diet.

According to some influencers, adding a cast iron “fish” to your meals while cooking is an easy way to boost the iron content in your foods – and remedy low iron levels. While some evidence suggests that this technique can work, boosting the body’s iron levels is far more complicated than it might seem on the surface.

Iron deficiency affects millions of people globally. It’s estimated around 8% of women (and 23% of pregnant women) plus 3% of men in the UK are iron deficient.

Iron is a crucial micronutrient, playing many important roles in the body. It aids metabolism, helps form red blood cells, brings oxygen to our muscles and assists in building DNA.

Adults have around 4g of iron in their body. However, poor diet and a variety of health conditions can lead to an iron shortage. For example,…