Iron Supplements

Iron has the longest and best described history among all the vitamins and mineral. Nearly all living organisms require iron. In people it has many crucial functions, including transporting oxygen throughout the body, producing cellular energy and creating hormones such as thyroid hormone, dopamine and epinephrine. Iron is also used to create DNA and to regulate the body’s antioxidant systems.

Dietary iron is found as “heme” and “nonheme” iron. Heme iron comes from hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. Animal foods that originally contained hemoglobin, such as red meats, fish, and poultry are rich in heme iron. Plant foods that contain iron, such as lentils and beans, have nonheme iron.¹ Heme iron is absorbed better than nonheme iron, but most dietary iron is nonheme iron.²

Most people know about iron from iron supplements or if they are told by their healthcare provider that they have iron deficiency. Menstruating women are particularly at risk for iron deficiency because they lose blood each month during their periods. Up to twenty percent of women are at risk for a deficiency of iron, which can cause fatigue, sadness, learning difficulties, decreased memory, rapid heart rate. Severe iron deficiency may result in brittle and spoon-shaped nails, sores at the corners of the mouth, taste bud atrophy and a sore tongue. People take iron supplements to promote and maintain healthy iron levels.

But not all iron supplements are the same. Most contain iron gluconate or iron sulfate. These forms can be difficult on the body and cause constipation and abdominal cramping. That’s why many women have difficulty taking iron supplements. And that’s why NBI created FerroSolve. It contains an amino acid chelated form of iron that is highly absorbable—up to 75% absorbable—and does not cause abdominal discomfort.