Clinical Applications
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- Helps to Prevent Iron Deficiency Anemia and Associated Tiredness and Fatigue
- Helps Pregnant Women Meet Recommended Intake for Iron When Taken in Conjunction With a Healthy Diet
- Helps with the Formation and Function of Red Blood Cells
Iron is one of the most abundant minerals on earth. It is essential to the majority of life forms, especially human physiology. Iron is an integral component of the proteins involved in oxygen transport and storage: hemoglobin, myoglobin and ferritin. Iron, as part of the protein hemoglobin, carries oxygen from the lungs to various parts of the body. Hemoglobin accounts for nearly two-thirds of the iron found in the body and carries essential oxygen to tissues and organs. Approximately one sixth of the body’s iron is stored as ferritin for use when dietary intake is not sufficient.
Iron must be maintained at balanced levels within the body—too much can cause toxicity and too little may lead to impairment of optimal health outcomes. Iron has to be carefully absorbed by the body. Interference can easily occur, making adequate consumption through diet and supplementation imperative to achieving a healthy balance.
Recommended Dose
Adults: 1 capsule 1 time per day. Take with food a few hours before or after taking other medications or natural health products.
Bioavailability
Bioavailability is important because it ensures supplementation translates to an improved iron balance in the body. Signs of inferior mineral supplements include the use of cheap, poorly absorbed, rock-salt minerals. Reacted Iron is formulated with the superior amino acid chelate form, iron bisglycinate, which does not ionize in the gut. Like heme iron (the most bioavailable form of iron found in some protein food sources), iron biglycinate is not impacted by dietary factors and is absorbed at a 59% higher rate than lesser forms, such as iron sulfate.
Energy Balance
Iron supplementation is often a standard recommendation for the treatment of fatigue, particularly among women. A 2012 randomized study confirmed the efficacy of iron in supporting energy balance.
Prenatal Support
Several major health organizations recommend iron supplementation during pregnancy to ensure pregnant women meet their iron requirements for healthy pregnancy outcomes. For all pregnant women, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends routine, low-dose iron supplementation beginning with the first prenatal visit. Larger doses of iron may be recommended following thorough testing to determine low hemoglobin or hematocrit.
