An observational study in Anemia, Iron Deficiency and Iron Overload, sponsored by Cornell University. Active, not recruiting at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 50 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-23.
Sponsored by Cornell University · Observational
This study aims to; 1) investigate population differences in iron absorption between East Asians and Northern Europeans; 2) assess population differences in hormonal and biochemical determinants of Fe absorption between East Asians and Northern Europeans; and 3) to investigate genetic contributions to Fe absorption, Fe status and Fe regulatory hormones between East Asians and Northern Europeans.
Detailed description:
This study will utilize a multidisciplinary approach to identify genetic variation in genes that control iron utilization in order to shed light on the genetic basis of population differences in iron status and disease susceptibility with a long-term goal of informing population-specific dietary iron intake recommendations to minimize the risk of chronic diseases. To evaluate iron utilization, we will employ an in vivo, functional approach using an oral stable iron isotope method. Each participant will have genetic ancestry and genotyping evaluated using the Illumina Global Diversity Array-8. Study participants (n=504, aged 18-50 y) will consume 57Fe (as ferrous sulfate) in the fasted state and will then ingest a standardized breakfast and lunch meal. Two weeks after iron dosing, a blood sample will be collected from each participant and the amount of 57Fe incorporated into red blood cells will be measured using magnetic sector thermal ionization mass spectrometry. This project will fundamentally advance our understanding of ethnic differences in nutrient metabolism and iron status. It will also provide information to assist with the long-term goal of reducing the public health burden of Fe-related diseases.
600 studies on the registry are indexed under Anemia, Iron-Deficiency; 95 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 515 is above the median of 200 across 118 observational studies indexed under Anemia, Iron-Deficiency.
Browse Anemia, Iron-Deficiency studies →Cornell University is the lead sponsor of 103 studies on the registry; 16 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Healthy adults from Ithaca and Rochester, NY
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The percent of non-heme iron absorption
The percent of non-heme iron absorption will be determined by red blood cell iron incorporation of stable 57Fe
Time frame: 2-week
The concentrations of iron and micronutrient status indicators
The concentrations or serum folate, B12, hemoglobin, hematocrit, transferrin receptor, hepcidin, erythropoietin, erythroferrone, ferritin, interleukin-6, and c-reactive protein
Time frame: baseline and two-weeks post dosing
Genetic ancestry and characterization of iron-related genotypes
The DNA will be extracted from whole blood samples and each participant will have genetic ancestry and genotyping evaluated using the Illumina Global Diversity Array-8.
Time frame: baseline
Habitual dietary information
Habitual dietary information will be obtained from Diet History Questionnaire III .
Time frame: baseline
Dietary information on the study day
Detailed dietary information about all foods and beverages consumed on the study day will be obtained from the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool.
Time frame: baseline
Ran from Aug 2019 to primary completion in Oct 2023, 50 months.
Completion moved once since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026: Dec 2025 → Dec 2026, on Oct 23, 2026.
Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.