Iron

Supplementation Options for Adults

If you have been diagnosed with iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia, chances are you been advised to use oral iron supplements, along with eating more foods rich in iron. Though there are several available at your pharmacy, resist the urge to just pick up any supplement because iron deficiency is not something you should try to treat on your own.

A Host of Ills When Iron’s Out of Balance

These days, more attention is being paid to the opposite problem: iron overload, which studies indicate can damage internal organs and may increase the risk of diabetes, heart attack and cancer, particularly in older people.

Iron: The Double-Edged Mineral

Iron stores are known to rise with age, and for many years were considered harmless. But a landmark study in Finland published in the early 90s in the journal Circulation suggested that excessive iron stores in men rank right behind smoking as the most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. While more recent studies have found this theory to be inconclusive, the jury is still out.

Having Trouble with Your Iron Supplement? Here’s What You Can Do

So, you’ve started taking an iron supplement and now it’s not going so well. Maybe it’s the side effects, or you keep forgetting to take all of your doses each day, or perhaps you just don’t feel like it’s working. What should you do? Well, here are a few tips for you...

FeraMAX

Recommended by Iron Maiden. Available in Canada. FeraMAX 150 is an oral iron supplement formulated with polysaccharides in a stable complex. It is manufactured by a specialized process whereby the iron is coated with polysaccharides (starches/sugars). This coating allows the iron to pass through the stomach relatively intact where it is absorbed through the small intestine and is then delivered to the bloodstream.

Iron Disorders Institute

Iron pills should be taken 2 hours before or after other medications. Iron can inhibit the effectiveness of thyroid medications, antibiotics and some antidepressant drugs. Foods and substances that can interfere with the absorption of iron include calcium, tannins, which are found in coffee, tea, grapes, red wine, purple or red rice, and bran fiber or chocolate. Iron supplementation is best taken two hours after consuming these substances.

The Iron Maiden

When it comes to taking an iron supplement there are a few things that you should consider, like knowing the differences between the available products, avoiding iron absorption inhibitors, and so forth.

Drugs.com

Although the supplements work best on an empty stomach, you may want to take them with food so that they don't upset your stomach. You shouldn't take iron supplements with milk, caffeine, antacids, or calcium supplements. These can decrease the amount of iron that is absorbed. Try to take your iron supplement with vitamin C (for example, a glass of orange juice) to increase absorption.

Linus Pauling Institute

Iron has the longest and best described history among all the micronutrients. It is a key element in the metabolism of almost all living organisms. In humans, iron is an essential component of hundreds of proteins and enzymes.

MayoClinic

Lack of iron may lead to unusual tiredness, shortness of breath, a decrease in physical performance, and learning problems in children and adults, and may increase your chance of getting an infection.

MedicineNet

Ferrous sulfate is a dietary supplement that is used for the prevention and treatment of iron-deficiency anemias. It is used as a nutritional supplement in individuals whose dietary intake of iron is not enough to meet the needs of their body.

NIH

Most of the 3 to 4 grams of elemental iron in adults is in hemoglobin. Much of the remaining iron is stored in the form of ferritin or hemosiderin (a degradation product of ferritin) in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow or is located in myoglobin in muscle tissue.