Kabtafer Plus Medical Team · Last reviewed: 11 October 2026
Sources: PubMed-indexed studies, World Health Organization guidelines, the British Society of Gastroenterology, the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements and UAE public-health data.
The short answer
Two studies on the Kabtafer Plus formulation (sold in Italy as Captafer) are published on PubMed: a small randomized placebo-controlled trial in women with iron deficiency, and an open-label pilot in people with inflammatory bowel disease. Both reported improvements in iron markers, but both are small, and larger placebo-controlled trials are still needed. This page lists those studies with their limitations, and the clinical guidelines and UAE data that every article on this site is based on.
Key points
- Kabtafer Plus is an iron-free food supplement; it does not treat or replace iron therapy.
- Rondanelli et al. 2006: randomized, placebo-controlled, 49 women, 60 days.
- Belluzzi et al. 2007: open-label pilot, no control group, 18 IBD patients completed, 4 months.
- A third trial (NCT02774057) was discontinued without results.
- Our health articles follow WHO, BSG, JAMA, AAFP and NIH guidance.
- UAE and GCC figures come from WHO, MOHAP and peer-reviewed UAE studies.
A. Studies on the Kabtafer Plus formulation (Captafer)
1. Rondanelli et al., Minerva Medica 2006
Citation: Rondanelli M, Opizzi A, Andreoni L, Trotti R. Minerva Med 2006;97(5):385–390 (in Italian). PMID 17146419.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Design | Randomized, placebo-controlled |
| Population | 49 women of childbearing age with iron deficiency (25 supplement, 24 placebo) |
| Duration | 60 days |
| Results | In women with baseline serum iron below 60 µg/dL, serum iron rose significantly versus placebo at day 30 (P<0.001) and day 60 (P<0.005). In women with ferritin below 20 ng/mL, ferritin rose at 60 days (P<0.05). No significant change with placebo. |
Limitations: a small study; results are reported for subgroups with low baseline values; the full paper is published in Italian, which limits independent review.
2. Belluzzi et al., World Journal of Gastroenterology 2007
Citation: Belluzzi A, Roda G, Tonon F, et al. World J Gastroenterol 2007;13(10):1575–1578. doi:10.3748/wjg.v13.i10.1575. PMID 17461451. Free full text.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Design | Open-label pilot, no control group; University of Bologna, S. Orsola Hospital |
| Population | 25 patients with inflammatory bowel disease and iron-deficiency anemia; 18 completed |
| Duration | 4 months |
| Withdrawals | 2 withdrew for adverse events (urticaria, gastric burning), judged by the authors as unrelated |
| Measure | Baseline | Month 2 | Month 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serum iron (µg/dL) | 26.7 | 46 (P<0.05) | 44.5 (P<0.05) |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 8.5 | not significant | 14.1 (P<0.05) |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 10.96 | — | 11.48 (P<0.05) |
Limitations: open-label with no control group, so the changes cannot be attributed to the supplement with certainty; only 18 patients completed. The authors themselves state that a placebo-controlled trial is needed.
3. AUB trial NCT02774057 (discontinued)
A trial at the American University of Beirut comparing Captafer with oral iron in IBD was registered as NCT02774057 but was discontinued and has no results. Only the two studies above are published on PubMed.
For plain-language summaries, see scientific studies and Kabtafer Plus clinical evidence. For product details, see Kabtafer Plus.
B. Clinical guidelines we follow
| Source | What it says (summary) |
|---|---|
| WHO hemoglobin guideline, 2024 | Hemoglobin cut-offs for anemia by age, sex and pregnancy trimester, with severity grades. |
| WHO ferritin guideline, 2020 | Ferritin below 15 µg/L defines iron deficiency in apparently healthy people aged 5 and over; higher thresholds apply with inflammation. |
| BSG guidelines (Snook et al., Gut 2021) | How to diagnose, investigate and treat iron-deficiency anemia in adults, including ferritin thresholds, oral iron dosing and when to use IV iron. |
| Auerbach et al., JAMA 2025 | Review of iron deficiency in adults: ferritin below 30 ng/mL or transferrin saturation below 20% suggests deficiency; lists when IV iron is appropriate. |
| Latimer et al., AAFP 2025 | Primary-care guide to iron-deficiency anemia, including testing for H. pylori and coeliac disease and risk after gastric bypass. |
| NIH ODS iron fact sheet | Iron needs, food sources, absorption enhancers and inhibitors, and groups at risk. |
| StatPearls: Iron Deficiency Anemia | Causes of iron deficiency: blood loss, malabsorption, increased need and low intake. |
| StatPearls: Beta Thalassemia | Thalassemia trait can mimic iron deficiency; iron does not correct anemia due to the trait alone. |
| Stoffel et al., Lancet Haematol 2017; Stoffel et al., Haematologica 2020 | Iron absorption studies showing higher fractional absorption with alternate-day dosing than consecutive-day dosing. |
C. UAE & GCC data
- WHO Global Health Observatory — modelled anemia estimates for women aged 15–49 (2023) for the UAE and other GCC countries. See anemia in the UAE and GCC.
- WHO anaemia fact sheet (2025) — global figures for women, pregnant women and children.
- Kim & Tridane, PLoS ONE 2017 — estimated alpha- and beta-thalassemia carrier rates in the UAE. See thalassemia trait vs iron deficiency.
- MOHAP — genetic testing as part of premarital screening for Emiratis from January 2025.
- UAE university student studies — University of Sharjah (J Egypt Public Health Assoc 2007) and Platat et al. (Front Public Health 2026).
D. How we write
- We use sources only from peer-reviewed journals and official health bodies (WHO, NIH, national guidelines, UAE health authorities).
- Every article shows a “last reviewed” date and lists its sources with links.
- We do not claim that Kabtafer Plus treats, cures or prevents any disease, and we state study limitations openly.
- Anemia always needs a doctor’s diagnosis; our articles encourage testing (see anemia blood test explained) and finding the cause.
- Found an error? Email info@kabtafer-plus.com and we will review and correct it.
Start with our anemia hub or iron-deficiency anemia guide.
This article is for general education and does not replace advice from your doctor or pharmacist.
Sources
- Rondanelli M, Opizzi A, Andreoni L, Trotti R. Minerva Med. 2006;97(5):385–390. PMID 17146419
- Belluzzi A, Roda G, Tonon F, et al. World J Gastroenterol. 2007;13(10):1575–1578. doi:10.3748/wjg.v13.i10.1575. wjgnet.com
- ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT02774057 (Captafer vs oral iron in IBD; discontinued).
- World Health Organization. Guideline on haemoglobin cutoffs to define anaemia in individuals and populations. 2024. who.int
- World Health Organization. WHO guideline on use of ferritin concentrations to assess iron status in individuals and populations. 2020. NBK569877
- Snook J, et al. British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines for the management of iron deficiency anaemia in adults. Gut. 2021;70:2030–2051. gut.bmj.com
- Auerbach M, DeLoughery TG, Tirnauer JS. Iron deficiency in adults: a review. JAMA. 2025;333(20):1813–1823. PMID 40159291
- Latimer K, et al. Iron deficiency anemia. Am Fam Physician. 2025;112(5):538–545. aafp.org
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Iron — Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
- StatPearls. Iron Deficiency Anemia. NBK448065
- StatPearls. Beta Thalassemia. NBK531481
- Stoffel NU, et al. Lancet Haematol. 2017;4(11):e524–e533. doi:10.1016/S2352-3026(17)30182-5
- Stoffel NU, et al. Haematologica. 2020;105(5):1232–1239.
- World Health Organization. Global Health Observatory: anaemia in women of reproductive age. ghoapi.azureedge.net
- World Health Organization. Anaemia — fact sheet. 10 February 2025. who.int
- Kim S, Tridane A. PLoS ONE. 2017;12(1):e0170485. PMC5279727
- Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). Genetic testing as part of premarital screening for Emiratis. mohap.gov.ae
- University of Sharjah study of anaemia in female students. J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2007;82(3–4):261–271.
- Platat C, et al. Front Public Health. 2026;14:1780083. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1780083