Using cast iron for cooking presents a little known but serious health risk particularly for middle-aged men and menopausal women. How to avoid this issue and use safely! 
Given the amount of time I spend in the kitchen preparing meals for my family, you might be surprised to learn that I do not own any cast iron pans. What’s more, I don’t intend to purchase or use cast iron anytime in the future (I choose to cook in toxin-free, traditional clay pots).
This may seem like heresy particularly since cast iron skillets are almost universally considered to be a healthy and durable choice for the preparation of homecooked meals.
However, I have good reasons for my decision, and science bears out my serious concerns about using cast iron pans unless they also include a quality enamel layer to prevent contact of the food with the iron surface.
Excess Iron is a Health Hazard
My primary reason for opting out of cast iron revolves around the health problems caused by excess iron in the diet. Research has demonstrated that cooking with iron pots and pans significantly raises iron levels in food. Correspondingly, the iron levels of those who eat that food increase as well. (1, 2)
Women do not typically need to worry about this problem as long as they are menstruating. The monthly cycle is a protective factor against this condition. Growing children also are not particularly susceptible as growth obviously requires more blood and more iron.
Adult Men and Menopausal Women Most at Risk
However, for adult men (even fully grown young men) and menopausal women, cast iron can definitely pose a problem as the iron that naturally gets into food from the utilization of this type of cookware can result in iron rising to toxic levels. This condition is associated with a host of serious health problems.
Iron is one of the few minerals we cannot eliminate except through blood loss. Therefore supplements should never contain iron. Moreover, cooking with cast iron is a questionable choice for this segment of the population.
Most people view iron as a nutrient, and indeed it is. It is also a powerful agent of oxidation in the body. This means that excess iron increases the chances of cancer and can severely damage the heart, arteries, and other organs.
In addition, persons with an inherited condition called hemochromatosis, or iron overload disease, can be especially harmed from iron intake. If you have any family members with this condition (about 1 million Americans), you should be especially careful with sources of iron in your diet.
Iron Overload Symptoms
Unfortunately, the symptoms of iron overload are similar to those of other conditions. Therefore it may be wise to request a transferrin saturation test at your next check-up to eliminate iron as a potential source of your health woes.
Avoiding cast iron is particularly important if you suffer from any of the following conditions and/or are an adult male or menopausal female:
- Fatigue
- Joint or muscle weakness
- Mysterious stomach or other gastrointestinal pain/nausea
- Weight loss that cannot be explained
- Elevated liver enzymes
- Shortness of breath
- Early menopause
- Loss of sex drive
- Impotence
- Loss of body hair (this is also a symptom of adrenal fatigue)
Later stage symptoms of iron toxicity
If iron overload continues for extended periods of time, more serious symptoms can emerge such as the following.
- Greying or bronzing of the skin
- Blood sugar issues
- Irregular heartbeat
- Liver problems
- Arthritis
How to Resolve Iron Overload Quickly
If you’ve been cooking with cast iron for a long time and are an adult male or menopausal female, it might be wise to donate blood right away. This practice will reduce iron stores immediately. Remember, loss of blood is the only way to resolve iron toxicity problems.
Continue regular blood donation until you can completely switch over to another type of nontoxic cookware such as clay, enamel, glass, or titanium.
Anemia Usually from an Imbalanced Gut NOT Inadequate Iron
Believe it or not, there is plenty of iron in the diet of the typical American. Even those eating the horrific Standard American Diet need not worry about inadequate iron intake. In addition, there is almost certainly adequate iron intake for a person eating a diet based on traditional foods and also in the diets of vegetarians.
Therefore, if you are anemic or suffer from pregnancy anemia and feel the need to use cast iron to increase your iron levels, you may wish to consider an imbalanced gut as a more likely source of the problem. Common gut pathogens consume iron and are a frequent cause of anemia. These pathogens include Actinomyces spp., Mycobacterium spp., pathogenic strains of E. coli, Corynebacterium spp., along with many others. Previous use of the birth control pill or antibiotics makes one especially prone to anemia issues.
Unfortunately, increasing iron intake with cast iron only makes these iron loving pathogens grow stronger. It does little to remedy anemia over the long haul. Therefore, rebalancing the gut with beneficial bacterial strains through diet and lifestyle changes rather than use of cast iron or iron supplements is the best approach to solving the root of the problem.
Using Cast Iron Safely
As mentioned above, using enameled cast iron is a safe option if you prefer the ease of use and heavy feel of cast iron pans. The enameled layer protects the food from contact with the iron portion of the pan and hence, offers an option that is both practical and safe. I recommend Le Creuset cookware as one of the best quality brands on the market if this is something you wish to explore.
It’s not just cast iron that is a potential health hazard. Learning to use stainless steel cookware, aluminum bakeware, and other kitchen equipment safely is of paramount importance for the modern cook. It’s not just about the food. Preparation is very important too to avoid the introduction of unwanted toxins!
References
(1) Food prepared in iron cooking pots as an intervention for reducing iron deficiency anemia
(2) Iron Content of Food Cooked in Iron Utensils
(3) Excess Iron: A Health Risk?
(4) Gut and Psychology Syndrome
I cook eggs in my All-Clad skillet all the time. Here is what I do. Heat the skillet gently before adding fat. Add fat and allow it to heat – then add eggs. If you scramble them – let them sit for 3 minutes w/o stirring & then stir. This generally works for me. And the butter doesn’t burn either.
I love my cast iron! What I don’t love is the iron in my drinking water. That scares me. Although, I was anemic with my first pregnancy when I was drinking bottled water. With my other pregnancies, I wasn’t anemic when I was drinking my tap water. But still, I have a dreadful amount of iron in my water.
Wow! Sarah…I salute you!
Most people don’t want to hear that their beloved cast iron may have some drawbacks…I know I didn’t.
I have now managed to replace all my cast iron, except the rarely used griddle, with glass or magnetic SS.
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/iron-dangers.shtml
Coffee ( or in the south, Sweet Tea) is good to drink with meat as it helps remove heavy metals including iron from the body.
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/caffeine.shtml
Oh Hallelujah! Someone who doesn’t think I’m nuts about my avoidance of cast iron! Thanks for posting this info, Jenny. Very interesting.
The solution seems to be that if you use cast iron and your paranoid about iron absorption then drink lots of tea- it reduces the absorption of iron into your body (which is also worth noting if you are actually trying to raise your blood iron levels!). Conversely, vitamin C helps the absorption of iron, therefore the best meal for those who are anaemic is steak and a glass of orange juice!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11029010
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14718031
http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/iron.html
Julie, hemachromotosis organizations state that you do not need to eat a low-iron diet, b/c dietary meat doesn’t contribute to the problem. I haven’t seen their stance on cast iron, but the reality is, stainless steel leaches nickel, most enamel leaches lead or other chemicals, Teflon definitely leaches all kinds of chemicals, and I’ve never seen a glass skillet. Properly seasoned cast iron turns the coating into a polymer which I seriously doubt is leaching. I want to see some hard proof via properly controlled studies showing ferritin levels rising to a dangerous level when cast iron is used regularly.
I have not personally seen any hard data on it. I have seen plenty of places that talk about using cast iron to boost blood iron levels. I do not feel comfortable waiting for a study to say its dangerous before playing it safe. The cautious choice would be to avoid it, i think. Obviously an occasional meal is not a big deal. I would worry more about all the aluminum they use in the preparation of food in the restaurant industry. But, it is indeed something to ponder and think about which is why I posted about it for those who might have some issues and not be aware of the potential dangers.
I must say that I cringe when I’m at a pizza restaurant and I see them cut the freshly cooked pizza on a big aluminum pan with a metal pizza cutter! YIKES.
Sarah, I think it’s also important to think about meat factor. Meats like hamburger have a lot of iron too. If you are not cooking with cast iron due to worry of iron in your food are you eating heavy iron meats like cow meat? It it certainly something to be aware of in your cookware, and it is important to use safe cookware, but if you use your cast iron CORRECTLY without acidic things and have it well oiled it should leach very little iron into your food and be nothing but your friend. If you are worried about exessive iron I would be more corncerned about the high levels of iron in meat foods.
Good point! Its true that men aren’t losing iron on a monthly basis in the same way as women, but they still need it as it is vital for red blood cell production. The absorption of iron from the diet is variable based on the requirements of the individual, therefore if you are fit and well (and in this case male) then you are incredibly unlikely to get iron overload.
A quick perusing of titanium cookware on amazon.com shows that they are just aluminum pans with a titanium nonstick coating. Is that what you meant, Sarah?
I think you can get ones that are full titanium as well last I checked. Everybody freaks out about aluminum, but it is not a problem unless it comes in contact with the food. So a titanium coating should be fine. Aluminum really leeches if you scrape it with cooking utensils (metal ones), for example, which is one reason aluminum cookware is so bad. If you aren’t scraping it so that it gets into the food and it’s not contacting the food anyway, that should be quite safe. Most ice cream makers have an aluminum interior (mine does). No big deal unless you go scraping the ice cream out with a big metal spoon.
For the person who was wondering about Mercola’s cookware, it’s here: http://cookware.mercola.com/ceramic-cookware.aspx
I guess ceramic is kin to enamel (lead free, of course).
Pretty sure that is made in CHINA!!!
I searched “ceramic cookware” and it came up with Ceramcor and it seems to be the exact same stuff. No mention where it is made … until I checked here:
http://www.chefsresource.com/ceramic-cookware.html
they carry Ceramcor and list country of origin: CHINA!
They also carry Emile Henry – the cookware I DREAM ABOUT!!! Now, that is safe, beautiful 100% ceramic, made in FRANCE! And not much more money, either!
Ceramic cookware is NOT enamel! Enamel is glaze-coated metal. Ceramic cookware is glazed ceramic. Stove-top ceramic is specially formulated to resist the thermal shock. It will break if you drop it.
BTW, searching that site, I found out that the LeCreuset French Press I was considering purchasing is not made in France – it is made in CHINA! 🙁 Well, I guess my only option is German stainless steel (the glass ones no longer last like they used to).
It’s great if all of you want to continue to use your cast iron and love it .. I just am not willing to take the risk with an adult male in my home when other very affordable nontoxic options exist. The blog, after all, is about my reasons for not using it. Whether or not you choose to use it is your own choice.
I think maybe we were all just thrown off a little. You did not give any alternatives, which makes things even more confusing.
I personally love your articles, and am very thankful for them. I knew about cast iron contaminating food, and take that into consideration with what I cook.
I just thought that you didn’t seem to tell the whole story, or give any hope for people now left in the dark. Cast iron cookware may not be for you and your husband, but it is a much safer option than what most people are cooking with. There is significant evidence that the absorption rate is much lower than that of food. The fact that you didn’t have any sources threw us all for a loop too, I believe. Also, the body does eliminate iron through the sloughing of the intestine, which happens about every week or so.
Please don’t feel like we are attacking you in all of these firey comments. There may just be a little more to the story. This is great information, like you always give to us! Thank you!
Hi Savannah, I did mention nontoxic alternatives in the article (glass, enamel, titanium). I guess it just got missed somehow.
Oh and no worries about very strong opinions contrary to mine. This is a blog for thinking people after all. 🙂
I had never thought about the flip side of the iron transfer into food. I have a few cast iron things but largely cook in stainless steel and enamled cast iron (which technically means I am cooking with glass touching the food). Definately something to think about, which is why I like your blog. You make me question myself. Thanks again!
Shoot! I have mostly stainless steel pots & pans. I was thinking about getting a cast iron skillet. I thought stainless steel was ok. I can’t afford to get rid of them & start over. It’s always something, isn’t it?
According to Sally Fallon Morell in Nourishing Traditions, cast iron and stainless steel are fine.
I’ve used Wolfgang Puck’s stainless steel cookware ever since it came out (7 yrs?) and I’ve seen no health issues come from those. The secret to using stainless is to warm it first, not overheat it – just warm it.
I use cast iron, stainless steel and enameled cast iron in my kitchen.