Iron contents of Soft drinks and non alcholic beverages.

[gwami]

Hi there.

I'm doing a chemistry project at school in which I am investigating the Iron content of different soft drinks, the problem is, I do not know of one that contains iron, or rather says that it contains iron. This is an assignment in the US, so does anyone know any soft drinks that are available to me with iron(III) in them? I'm using thiocyanate indicator and colorimetry to detect it.

Also, what could the significance of the iron in the soft drink be, My teacher says its important in our red-blood cells, and I could possibly even relate the subject to anaemia. Does anyone know of any liquid iron supplements that anaemics take, as opposed to pills etc. ?? Thank you for any help you can provide.

[smk1, LPN]

Hi there.

I'm doing a chemistry project at school in which I am investigating the Iron content of different soft drinks, the problem is, I do not know of one that contains iron, or rather says that it contains iron. This is an assignment in the US, so does anyone know any soft drinks that are available to me with iron(III) in them? I'm using thiocyanate indicator and colorimetry to detect it.

Also, what could the significance of the iron in the soft drink be, My teacher says its important in our red-blood cells, and I could possibly even relate the subject to anaemia. Does anyone know of any liquid iron supplements that anaemics take, as opposed to pills etc. ?? Thank you for any help you can provide.

your best bet is to head to the local grocery store and go to the soft drink aisle and start checking labels. I personally would be surprised to see iron listed as an ingredient. Most soda's have no nutritional value except for high sodium content and sometimes potassium. As far as the purposes of iron in the body, you are on the right track. Iron is used for the building of red blood cells within the body. If you don't have enough iron, then your blood cell production will go down and the new cells will be smaller in size and malformed. This affects hemoglobin which will in turn affect the oxygen carrying capacity of the cells, this will lead to shortness of breath and less oxygen throughout the body. iron is also used to convert thyroid hormones into different forms so i supposed in a severe case of deficiency, thyroid function could be altered as well. I am not aware of any liquid iron supplements, but they could be out there. iron pills and injections are used for replacement along with foods high in iron (red meat, spinach, iron fortified cereal etc...). This should point you in the right direction for your research, now go get to work! :welcome:

[Jolie, BSN]

I agree that reading labels in the grocery store is your best bet. I don't know of any soft drinks that contain iron, but there are so many "sports/nutrition" drinks and fortified waters available on the market now that it's certainly possible that one or more of them do. (Products such as "Propel".)

There is a liquid form of supplemental iron available over the counter (Ferinsol is the brand name) which is used for supplementation for infants and young children. Both my girls (preemies) were anemic and had to take it for 3-6 months. I gave it in juice to try and hide the taste, as well as enhance the absorption of iron by combining it with a vitamin C rich juice.

Liquid nutritional products such as infant formula, Pediasure, and Ensure also contain iron, but they certainly wouldn't be considered soft drinks.

Good luck on your project.

[vampiregirl, BSN, RN]

Another thing to consider regarding iron and soft drinks is that caffeine can interfere with the absorption of iron.

[gwami]

Thanks. My eyes are now clear on how to proceed. I'll post my findings. thanks