Restless Legs Syndrome and Related Disorders - Treatment

The Effects of Food on Iron Absorption. The absorption of non-heme iron often depends on the food balances in meals. The following are foods that enhance absorption of non-heme iron.

Meat and fish not only contain heme iron, the best form for maintaining stores, but they also help absorb non-heme iron.
Increasing intake of vitamin-C rich foods can enhance absorption of non-heme iron during a single meal. In any case, vitamin-C rich foods are healthful and include broccoli, cabbage, citrus fruits, melon, tomatoes, and strawberries. One orange or six ounces of orange juice can double the amount of iron your body absorbs from plant foods. (Taking vitamin C supplements does not appear to have any significant effect on iron stores.)
Foods containing riboflavin (vitamin B2) may help enhance the formation of hemoglobin from iron. Sources include liver, dried fortified cereals, and yogurt.

text continues below

Certain nutrients impede the body's absorption of dietary iron. They include the following:

Polyphenols (found in tea, coffee, red wine, berries, apples).
Phytates (found in foods such as seeds, dried beans, soy, and bran). Such foods are typically high in fiber. (It is often believed that fiber itself impedes iron absorption, but researchers report that it has little or no effect.)
Calcium. Calcium impairs the absorption of heme and non-heme iron. However, calcium intake must be quite high to cause any significant problems. For example, a 2002 study reported that cheese had no effect on iron absorption from meals rich in heme and non-heme iron.

The Effects of Cooking Methods on Iron. Cooking methods can enhance iron stores. Cooking in cast iron pans and skillets is well-known to increase the iron content of food. According to one study, boiling, steaming, or stir-frying in utensils composed of any material significantly increased the release of non-heme iron stored in vegetables.

Iron Supplements

In people with RLS who are also iron deficient, iron supplements can produce a significant reduction in symptoms. They should be used in these patients, however, only when dietary measures have failed. They do not appear to be useful for RLS patients with normal or above normal iron levels. One interesting study, however, reported that high-dose intravenous iron therapy improved symptoms in nearly all patients with normal iron levels, suggesting that iron therapy may be useful in general for RLS. It should be noted, however, that iron replacement therapy can cause gastrointestinal problems, sometimes severe ones. Excess iron may also contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.