<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> >>I had low iron for years before being diagnosed. I ate lots of iron rich foods and tlook supplements, to no avail. I was also experiencing a lot of bruising. After diagnosis, I read about malabsorbtion of fat-soluable vitamins. VITAMIN K is one of them, which aids iron absorption. I got some at GNC at the mall, and my iron zoomed up almost immediately! I ran out, and within 2 weeks the bruising returned. I shall NEVER run out again!<< Bruising can be caused by a vitamin C defficiency. Vitamin C is also very important for iron absorption - Research has shown that 200 mg of Vitamin C per day will DOUBLE the amount of iron absorbed from the food you eat. (This does not apply to the iron in meat, which is mostly in the form of hematin, which is already very readily absorbed (about 85%). So perhaps it would be a good idea to ALSO take some vitamin C. Vitamin K is produced by bacteria in the gut, so if you had a defficiency of it, you may have some degree of malabsorption and/or an intestinal overgrowth (the wrong balance of flora). In that case, strictly following a gluten-free diet (if celiac) and considering possible reactions to grains OTHER than wheat (if already following a gluten-free diet) might be helpful. Supportive measures to encourage the correct intestinal flora such as yoghurt, acidopholus (with bulgaricus, thermopholus, etc) supplements, and possibly even capryllic acid and/or proplis capsules, cooking with garlic and ginger, echinaccea or tahebo tea, avoiding simple sugars and excessive fats, etc. might all prove helpful. IMPORTANT NOTE: Iron supplements can encourage the WRONG bacteria. Iron is the major growth limiting factor for most microorganisms (with the single know exception of the Lactobilli, which are beneficial) and most iron supplements are in a form that is readily available to bacteria. Iron in meat, eggs and goat's milk (much less so in cow's milk) is locked up (sequestered) in proteins (hematin, ovalbumin, and lactoferrin, respectively) where it is inaccessable to (most) bacteria. It would, therefore, probably be better to increase iron intake thru these foods and by taking vitamin C (as noted above) rather than thru the use of supplements. Iron supplements in excessive amounts are extremely toxic to young children - the largest single source of poisionings in the US is adults iron supplements eaten as candy by young children - a very difficult to treat, life-threatening situation. Routine iron supplementation of some foods harms more people than it helps (screenings have shown only about 6% of adults to be iron defficient whereas about 10% carry one allele for iron overload and are harmed by such routine hidden supplements.) Jim Barron Chapel Hill NC [log in to unmask]