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  "path": "/health/supplement-iron-doctor-warning-overdose-risk",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-01T15:09:20.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Fatty liver disease: How you cook red meat may matter more than how much you eat",
    "Popular supplement linked to slower brain repair raises dementia concerns",
    "'Skinny jabs' boom in Britain amid fears of unknown long-term health risks",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nAn emergency medicine physician based in Virginia has issued a stark warning to parents about the potentially lethal dangers lurking in household vitamin cabinets.\n\nDr Ashley Alker, who practises in Fredericksburg, has drawn attention to the serious risks that iron-containing supplements pose to young children in her recently published book, \"99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe physician notes most people fail to recognise that over-the-counter products can cause overdoses.\n\n\"That's very dangerous for young kids, especially because they don't need very much to overdose,\" Dr Alker told TODAY.com.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nPrenatal vitamins present a particular hazard, as they contain the highest concentrations of iron among multivitamin products.\n\nThe National Capital Poison Centre warns that households with newborns face elevated risks, given that mothers may have these supplements readily accessible.\n\nCompounding the danger is the fact that many iron supplements now come as gummies with an appealing taste and appearance.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:\n\n\n\n\n  * Fatty liver disease: How you cook red meat may matter more than how much you eat\n  * Popular supplement linked to slower brain repair raises dementia concerns\n  * 'Skinny jabs' boom in Britain amid fears of unknown long-term health risks\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"For babies, infants, toddlers and kids, if they eat a handful of those, that can be an overdose for them. So anything with iron in it should be locked up,\" Dr Alker cautioned.\n\nChildren's smaller body size means they can reach toxic levels far more rapidly than adults.\n\nThe initial symptoms of iron poisoning include gastrointestinal distress, with sufferers experiencing nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhoea and constipation, according to the National Institutes of Health.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHowever, the condition rapidly deteriorates beyond these early warning signs.\n\n\"The blood turns to acid, and the iron causes bleeding and liver, heart and kidney dysfunction,\" Dr Alker writes in her book.\n\nThe NIH cautions that consuming extremely elevated quantities of iron - reaching hundreds or even thousands of milligrams against the 8-18 milligrams adults require daily - can trigger organ failure, seizures, coma and death.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nParents should take decisive action by securing all adult supplements out of sight and beyond children's reach, with Dr Alker specifically recommending that tablets and gummies be locked away.\n\nReassuringly, the National Capital Poison Centre notes that children's multivitamins typically contain negligible amounts of iron or none whatsoever.\n\nShould parents suspect their child has ingested iron supplements, immediate medical attention is essential.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nAn intravenous antidote exists and can be administered at the hospital, though Dr Alker emphasises it must be given promptly to be effective.\n\nThough iron remains vital for maintaining good health, consuming it in appropriate quantities - ideally through iron-rich foods - is paramount.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "'Very dangerous': Emergency doctor warns of overdose risk from common supplement"
}