Iron in Eggs

When most people think of iron-rich foods, their minds immediately go to red meats and spinach. While these are all great sources, did you know iron is also found in a variety of everyday foods — like eggs! 

Iron is an essential mineral, needed daily to keep our energy levels high. Let's look at the amount and type of iron in eggs and learn how you can use this superfood to help you meet your iron needs every day.

Why Do We Need Iron?

Iron is a mineral that’s required daily in the diet for the following reasons:

• It carries oxygen around the bloodstream.
• It is needed for the body to store oxygen in the muscles where it helps with energy release.
• It is needed for immunity.
• It is required for growth.
• It is needed for energy production in the body.
• It plays a role in optimal mental health.

How Much Iron Is in Eggs?

One serving of eggs (2x 60g eggs) provides 1.7mg of iron, which represents 14% of the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) for adults and 17.5% for children aged 9-13 years.

Iron Deficiency

What happens if you don't have enough iron?

If your body doesn’t get enough iron, you could be at risk of developing iron deficiency anemia; a condition where the body has lower than normal levels of healthy blood cells. Without enough iron, your body is unable to produce hemoglobin, a substance that allows red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. With this key process affected, those with an iron deficiency often experience:

• Extreme tiredness/fatigue
• Weakness
• Cold extremities
• Headache or light-headedness
• Cravings for non-nutritive substances (e.g. ice or starch)
• Shortness of breath
• Possible chest pain

Where Does Iron Come From?

Iron in food exists in two different forms: heme and non-heme. As a general rule, heme forms are found mainly in animal foods, while non-heme forms are found in plant sources. One of the main differences between the two forms is that heme iron is much more readily absorbed by the body.  

Sources of heme iron include lean red meat, mussels, oysters, and chicken while non-heme iron is found in dark-green vegetables, wheat germ, dried fruit, oatmeal and nuts, wholemeal bread, legumes and cocoa powder.

What Type of Iron Do Eggs Contain?

Eggs contain both types of iron – heme and non-heme. The iron in eggs is found predominantly in the yolk.

How Much Iron Is Absorbed From Eggs?

So eggs are a good source of iron, great! But how bioavailable is the iron in eggs?

When it comes to the absorption of iron into the body, around 5% of the iron found in eggs is absorbed into the bloodstream. This may sound low, however, iron typically has a low bioavailability regardless of food source.  

Red meat, for example, is often considered a good source of iron in the diet. Our bodies only absorb around 15% of the total iron content in a serving of red meat. The difference in iron absorption between meat and eggs is due to the egg yolk containing a substance called phosvitin, which lowers the amount of iron absorbed.  

But vitamin C can help. Consuming a rich source of vitamin C along with your eggs will increase the amount that gets absorbed into the bloodstream.

Good examples include drinking a glass of orange juice with your boiled eggs or eating tomatoes and capsicum with your fried eggs on toast.