Sufferers are more likely to develop diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver, as well as certain infections. "There is the lure that iron-tired blood requires iron...but we're learning that iron supplements also have a very dark side," Dr. Hendler warns. "(Iron) can be destructive to the cells and organs, including the liver, heart, and brain."

In fact, too much iron also may be life-threatening warns Dr. Eugene Weinberg, professor emeritus of microbiology at Indiana University at Bloomington. Both cancer cells and infectious organisms need iron from their host to grow, says Weinberg, who has studied the effects of iron for three decades.

Without iron and oxygen from the blood, these organisms cannot multiply. Hendler agrees, but says, "It's a long process. You're not going to die the next day from liver cancer, neurological disorders, or diabetes."

To get right amount — and kind — of iron:

• Include iron-rich meat at a meal.
• Consume a vitamin C-rich food, such as orange juice, with an iron-rich vegetable, such as spinach.
• Avoid drinking tea, antacids, tofu, soy, or tetracycline when taking iron supplements.
• Switch to another brand or form of iron supplement and take with meals if you develop constipation or diarrhea.
• Get plenty of vitamin B-12 and folic acid. The best food sources of B-12 are beef liver, clams, oysters, tuna, milk, yogurt, eggs and cheese. Whether or not you're pregnant, try to get the recommended amount of 400 micrograms of folic acid in your daily diet. Good food sources include asparagus, black-eyed peas, kidney beans and orange juice.
• If you opt for the non-heme form of iron, go for animal products such as liver, clams, salmon, oysters, and sardines. Good heme sources are: oats, soybeans, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, spinach, eggs, black currants, fish, dried fruits (figs, apricots), nuts, fortified breakfast cereals, chocolates, tofu; almonds, avocados, beets, blackstrap molasses, brewer's yeast, dates, kidney and lima beans, lentils, peaches, pears, rice and wheat bran, and sesame seeds.