The short answer
A good source, if not a high one. One portion of eggs (2 eggs) gives about 1.8 mg of iron, 10% of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need. It is non-heme iron, so only a small share gets in unless a vitamin C helper shares the plate.
- mg1.8In one portion: 2 eggs
- %10Of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need
- mg1.8Per 100 g, as eaten
Worth knowingYolks hold back a little plant iron, but not heme iron. Add pepper or tomato.
How it compares
Iron per portion, next to the foods closest to it.
What helps its iron in
Plant iron
Only a small share gets in on its own. A vitamin C helper on the same plate lifts it.
Cook JD, Monsen ER (1977), Am J Clin Nutr. 25 mg of vitamin C with a meal raised its iron absorption 1.65 times, and 1,000 mg almost 10 times. With meat in the meal, the rise was smaller.
What holds it back
Egg protein
Eggs do not help plant iron in the way meat and fish do, and egg white held it back in a test meal.
Cook JD, Monsen ER (1976), Am J Clin Nutr. Beef, lamb, pork, liver, fish or chicken in a meal raised plant-iron absorption 2 to 4 times over egg white. Milk, cheese and egg did not.
Get more from it
- Put a helper on the same plate: vitamin C from one of these.Lemon juiceRed bell pepperTomatoTomato pasteStrawberriesBlackcurrants
Recipes with eggs
All recipes
Questions
How much iron is in eggs?
About 1.8 mg per 100 g, so 2 eggs (100 g) gives about 1.8 mg. The number is from USDA FoodData Central: Egg, whole, cooked, poached.
Is the iron in eggs easy to absorb?
Less easily than iron from meat or fish. On its own only a small share gets in. A vitamin C helper on the same plate lifts it, and coffee, tea and dairy near the meal hold it back.
What should I eat with eggs for iron?
A vitamin C helper on the same plate: lemon juice, red pepper, tomato, parsley or berries. A little meat or fish helps too, if you eat it.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Egg, whole, cooked, poached
- Cook JD, Monsen ER. Vitamin C, the common cold, and iron absorption. Am J Clin Nutr, 1977
- Ballot D, et al.. The effects of fruit juices and fruits on the absorption of iron from a rice meal. Br J Nutr, 1987
- Rossander L, Hallberg L, Björn-Rasmussen E. Absorption of iron from breakfast meals. Am J Clin Nutr, 1979
- Cook JD, Monsen ER. Food iron absorption in human subjects. III. Comparison of the effect of animal proteins on nonheme iron absorption. Am J Clin Nutr, 1976
- Hurrell RF, et al.. Iron absorption in humans: bovine serum albumin compared with beef muscle and egg white. Am J Clin Nutr, 1988
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Iron: fact sheet for health professionals
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 101.54: nutrient content claims for "good source" and "high"
Iron is from food tables, for the food as eaten, and real foods vary with the cut, the brand and the recipe. Your body takes in a share of it, and a larger share when your stores are low.
Educational, not medical advice. ferritin.ai does not diagnose or treat any condition. Talk to your doctor about your own results.