Iron Deficiency – The most common nutritional disorder worldwide!
Iron deficiency affects over 1.2 billion people worldwide, and that does not include those who are not aware they are iron-deficient!
Causes
Iron deficiency anaemia occurs when your body doesn’t have enough iron to produce haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is the part of red blood cells that gives blood its red colour and enables the red blood cells to carry oxygenated blood throughout your body.
Causes include blood loss, lack of iron in your diet, an inability to absorb iron, menstruating women, athletes, adolescents, the elderly, people with poor gut health, Pregnancy and medications (oral contraceptive pill, aspirin, reflux medications, steroids, antacids and anti-coagulants)
Who is most at risk of being iron deficient?
- Women
- Vegetarians
- Infants and Children
- Frequent blood donors
Absorption of Iron and dosing
There are many different forms of iron supplements available on the market. The current recommendation is approximately 180mg of absorbable iron per week. However, because iron is difficult to absorb and causes side effects, it is challenging to achieve 180mg of absorbable iron per week.
The current guidelines recommend 105-210mg of elemental iron daily. Elemental iron will vary in each iron product such as Ferro-Gradumet, Ferrograd C, FGF, Fefol, Ferro-F and Maltofer. Best to check with your pharmacist how to achieve a dose of 105-210mg of elemental iron daily.
Although there is no clear evidence for one preparation over another, small studies suggest better tolerability for iron bisglycinate.
Drug Interactions and Iron Supplements.
Iron supplements may interact with various medicines, including some antibiotics and thyroid medicines. Doses should be separated by at least 2 hours. Acid-lowering drugs (used mainly for reflux such as Nexium, Somac, Pariet and Losec), aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and haloperidol may also compromise the iron status.
Optimal Absorption of Iron
Oral Iron supplements (except for Maltofer) is best absorbed when taken on an empty stomach (one hour before or two hours after food). Tea and Coffee may substantially impair absorption. The addition of Vitamin C may also help improve absorption. It may be best to take your iron supplement first thing in the morning or later in the evening.
Side Effects of Iron Tablets
Like all medicines, Iron Supplements can cause side effects in some people.
Many people have no side effects or only minor ones.
Talk to your pharmacist or doctor if these side effects bother you or do not go away:
- feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting), stomach discomfort or heartburn
- loss of appetite
- constipation
- diarrhoea
- dark or black poo
- black stained teeth (from the liquid only)