Anemia

Overview

Only Vitamin B9 (Folate) is indexed for anemia, with three low-rated studies (WA 40) for effect size and evidence and medium trust.

Taking folic acid along with iron does not appear to treat anemia better than iron alone unless a person has specifically low folate levels. In most studied populations, folic acid added no extra benefit beyond iron supplementation on anemia outcomes.

Evidence is limited to a small number of trials and does not support routine folic acid add-on for general anemia. See the evidence reviews below for details.

Effect graph

Unlock now

Relevant supplements

Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.


Vitamin B9 (Folate)	★★★★★	Very Low / None

Unlock now

Studies

Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.

1 supplement for rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.

Vitamin B9 (Folate)View supplement →

Reconsider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeVery Low / NoneEvidenceHighTrustMedium

Evidence Review

Taking folic acid along with iron does not seem to treat anemia any better than taking iron alone, unless someone specifically has low folate levels.
For most people in these studies, folic acid did not add extra benefit.

Browse 3 studies1 meta-analysis

RCTThe Inclusion of Folic Acid in Weekly Iron-Folic Acid Supplements Confers no Additional Benefit on Anemia Reduction in Nonpregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Malaysia2021n=311

A randomized trial of 311 women found that 60 mg/day for 16 weeks among all women, the risks of anemia [risk ratio (RR): 0.65; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.96; P = 0.03] and iron deficiency based on ferritin (RR: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.20, 0.44; P < 0.001) were lower at 16 wk than at baseline.

Effect: No Benefit
Duration: 16 weeks
Dose: 60 mg/day
Population: Women
Participants: 311

View on PubMed

RCTA randomized controlled trial examining the addition of folic acid to iron supplementation in the treatment of postpartum anemia2014n=112

A randomized trial of 112 women found that 600 mg/day for 4 weeks the addition of folic acid to iron supplementation is not beneficial in women with postpartum anemia, as it has no effect on hematologic or health status parameters.

Effect: No Benefit
Duration: 4 weeks
Dose: 600 mg/day
Population: Women
Participants: 112

View on PubMed

MetaFolic acid supplementation during pregnancy for maternal health and pregnancy outcomes2013n=17,771

A meta-analysis of 17771 participants found that this review found that folic acid supplementation has no impact on pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth (risk ratio (RR) 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73 to 1.38; three studies, 2959 participants), and stillbirths/neonatal deaths (RR 1.33, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.85;.

Effect: No Benefit
Population: Women
Participants: 17,771

View on PubMed

Unlock now

Evidence visualised

Same ratings as above, aggregated so you can see coverage and imbalance.

Purchase-guidance distribution

How many supplements fall in each purchase band

Effect-size distribution

How large the reported benefits tend to be

Study distribution across 1 supplements for anemia (3 studies total).
Supplement	DEX	Studies	Meta-analyses	Share
Vitamin B9 (Folate)	★★★★★40%	3	1	100%

Unlock now

Overview

Effect graph

Relevant supplements

Studies

Evidence visualised

On this page