Vitamin C plus oral iron supplementation may not provide added benefit in iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Vitamin C has long been recommended as an adjunct to oral iron replacement therapy to enhance absorption of iron in the gastrointestinal tract. However, a study in the November JAMA Network Open found that iron supplementation alone was as effective in increasing hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels as iron supplementation plus vitamin C. At the end of eight weeks of follow-up, there was no difference in the change in hemoglobin or serum ferritin levels between the group receiving iron plus vitamin C and the group receiving iron alone. According to the authors, the "results suggest that vitamin C is not essential for patients with IDA."