The short answer
No. Milk has next to no iron: none worth counting. Its calcium holds back iron from the rest of the meal, so keep it apart from your iron meals.
- mg0In one portion: 1 glass
- %0Of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need
- mg0Per 100 g, as eaten
How it compares
Iron per portion, next to other foods on the drinks shelf.
What holds it back
Calcium
Calcium holds iron back, from plants and from meat.
Hallberg L, et al. (1991), Am J Clin Nutr. 165 mg of calcium from milk or cheese cut iron absorption from a meal by 50–60%, and it lowered heme iron too.
Get more from it
- The program's ruleKeep it 3–4 hours from an iron meal.
Questions
How much iron is in milk?
About 0 mg per 100 g, so 1 glass (250 g) gives about 0 mg. The number is from USDA FoodData Central: Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D.
Does milk block iron absorption?
Its calcium holds iron back, from plants and from meat. The program keeps calcium foods 3 to 4 hours from an iron meal.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D
- Hallberg L, et al.. Calcium: effect of different amounts on nonheme- and heme-iron absorption in humans. Am J Clin Nutr, 1991
- Gleerup A, et al.. Iron absorption from the whole diet: comparison of the effect of two different distributions of daily calcium intake. Am J Clin Nutr, 1995
- Gleerup A, Rossander-Hultén L, Hallberg L. Duration of the inhibitory effect of calcium on non-haem iron absorption in man. Eur J Clin Nutr, 1993
- 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.