Favorite iron supplements?

[bbrowncaptain of 100]

Hey all, I have some big health issues going on (pituitary in origin and possibly affecting many other hormones/glands) and my ferritin level was low enough that when I saw my Endo in LA he would have had me see a hematologist the next day for an infusion if I weren't flying back home that morning. I do know full-well the foods that are good for iron and was even eating them frequently when I became sick, so just suggesting I eat grass-fed red meat, get more vitamin C and eat spinach isn't helpful, so suggestions that are measurable in elemental iron would be good! I was taking Vitamin Code's Raw Iron supplements while pregnant becuase I like raw vitamins better in general (and they didn't cause constipation), but I have to take 6 of them a day at my massive dosage and it costs a fortune! I swear I saw an iron supplement in a nutritional supplement catalog where you just used a couple of drops of a liquid (well, one a day for a normal dose) but of course the catalog got thrown away when I was out of town for medical testing and I can't find anything similar online (they are all higher quantities of liquid). Anything I could get in bulk would be helpful too!

Catherine

[PSCahillcaptain of 10]

Blood Builder tablets, first of all, and secondarily, Floradix. Both have helped me tremendously.

[Robthe Sunbeam]

I would start by drinking 3 cups of red raspberry leaf tea and 2 oz of wheatgrass juice per day. I would drink the wheatgrass juice with beet and carrot juice, 1 oz of the wheatgrass juice to one cup of beet-carrot juice.

[karen2cruisecaptain of 100]

As my son has colitis and recently had a bad flare which caused severe anemia- the following iron supplements gave him a complete turn around in less than a month and put off having him do IV iron therapy. There were no stomach issues (some iron tablets can cause pain). He took this with a glass of no pulp orange juice, but any drink with vitamin c will do.

Now Foods, Iron Complex
Supplement Facts
Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid) 50 mg 80%
Folate 200 mcg 50%
Vitamin B-12 (as Cyanocobalamin) 50 mcg 830%
Iron (as 158 mg Ferrochel Iron Bisglycinate) 27 mg 150%
Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) (Root) 100 mg †
Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) (Leaf)

iherb.com has great prices

[davedancaptain of 1,000]

Table 1. Factors That Influence Iron Absorption
Physical State (bioavailability) heme > Fe2+ > Fe3+
Inhibitors phytates, tannins, soil clay, laundry starch, iron overload, antacids
Competitors lead, cobalt, strontium, manganese, zinc
Facilitators ascorbate, citrate, amino acids, iron deficiency

Ok, so to understand about the best iron supplement, you need to understand about how iron is absorbed. Heme iron (in blood) is transported totally separate from iron by by itself.

According to the table above, heme iron is the best. But drinking blood and eating a lot of red meat isnt kosher. Actually the real practice that Paul was warning against was people strangling animals and drinking the blood to get a high off the catacholamines. Anyways, if your not into meat, ferrous (Fe2+) is absorbed by a metal ion transporter. Vitamin C and citrate help as well as a low pH. Low PH and ascorbate and citrate stabilizes the Fe in a soluble form.

Really, the best and cheapest way to take iron is FeSo4 iron sulfate between meals with a glass of citrus juice or a vitamin C tab. Don't take it with Antacids, milk, soy, other minerals, tea, coffee, or with wheat-containing foods as other metals, tannins and phytates inhibit absorption.

If the iron upsets your stomach than take it with meals. If iron causes constipation, than take a stool softener colace.

Don't be fooled into taking expensive iron supplements that claim they are necessarily better absorbed. FeSO4 is dirt cheap and does very well. Taking your iron along with vitamin A, beta-carotene and riboflavin can increase absorption, but I would only do this of you also were deficient in these vitamins. Iron with amino acids are also well absorbed. But again, the gains may not be worth the price.



Iron Supplement Tablet Size Elemental Iron
Ferrous fumarate 325 mg 108 mg
Ferrous sulfate 325 mg 65 mg
Ferrous gluconate 325 mg 35 mg

Ferrous fumarate has the highest elemental iron per 325mg tab. The max dose of iron per day should not exceed 200mg/day unless a hematologist says its okay. Due to deminishing returns, taking multiple small iron tabs per day is better than taking a large dose of iron all at one time.

[karen2cruisecaptain of 100]

Iron supplements can be found for $5-12 per 100 tablets, so relatively inexpensive in the supplement world

FERROCHEL Vs. FERROUS SULFATE:
The most common sources of inorganic iron are ferrous sulfate or ferrous fumerate. Inorganic forms such as these are poorly utilized and have a percent absorption range between 2-14%. In addition, the oral administration of these types of iron can cause gastric discomfort, nausea, constipation, and diarrhea. To avoid these problems a patented form of iron glycine was developed using state of the art technology. Ferrochel® is a true amino acid chelate that has demonstrated superior bioavailability and exceptional tolerance by most individuals. Ferrochel®, is better absorbed, utilized and tolerated then other forms of iron.
A recent study of anemic adolescents at INCAP (Institute of Nutrition for Central America and Panama), demonstrated that 30 mg of iron as Ferrochel® raised hemoglobin levels the same as 120 mg of ferrous sulfate. Ferrochel® was four times more bioavailable and demonstrated a 70-75% absorption rate.

Furthermore, with a dose of 30 mg no negative side effects were noted and at the larger dosage tested (150 mg), fifty percent fewer complaints were registered when compared to those individuals taking the ferrous sulfate supplements.

THE SAFETY OF FERROCHEL®:
The high absorption rate of Ferrochel® has raised some questions about its' safety for long term use. Both long term animal studies and LD50 tests were conducted using high doses of Ferrochel® and the results demonstrated that this form of iron is less toxic than ferrous sulfate. In fact, research indicates that Ferrochel is between 3-10 times less toxic than this common form of iron. Ferrochel® is a unique patented form of iron glycine that appears to be highly regulated by the body. Once Ferrochel® binds with the mucosal lining in the small intestines, it remains there until it is required by the body. If the iron is not required in a reasonable amount of time it is harmlessly passed out of the body via the normal shedding of the mucosal lining of the intestines.


REFERENCES:
Ashmead et al., Intestinal absorption of metal ions and chelates, Charles C. Thomas, Springfield IL., 1985. Pineda and Ashmead, Effectiveness of iron ammo acid chelates in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in adolescents, J. Applied Nutr., 46:1-2, 1994.
NOTE:This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease.
Ferrochel® is patented by Albion Laboratories No. 4830716.