Recent studies in normal men have demonstrated that soy products have a pronounced inhibitory effect on the absorption of nonheme dietary iron. The purpose of the present investigation was to explore approaches to overcoming this inhibition. A modest but significant increase in iron absorption was observed when test meals containing either isolated soy protein or whole soybeans were baked at 200 degrees C. The addition of 100 mg ascorbic acid to a meal containing isolated soy protein had a more dramatic effect, increasing mean absorption from 0.6 to 3.2%. A similar but less pronounced increase was observed when meat was added to the isolated soy protein meal. These results indicate that the inhibitory effect of soy can be reversed to some extent by substances known to enhance nonheme iron absorption.