Why Low-dose is more efficient than High-dose

when it comes to iron

Restoring counts takes :me

•  Restoring iron values takes a while, just like the onset and development of iron deficiency doesn't happen overnight. It is a ques:on of balance where the uptake of iron needs to match the losses.

•  Natural losses include for instance loss of blood through menstrua:on and natural intake is based on the diet.

Natural dose

•  The regular amount of iron we need in a mixed diet is 12 - 18 mg in total per day.

•  In healthy individuals the average iron demand is 1 mg daily for men, 1.5 - 2.5 mg daily for women and during pregnancy 2-3 mg daily corresponding to a total of 500 - 1 000 mg, which will be absorbed from the daily diet.

Natural dose

•  This means that if our intake is lacking this amount or the losses are larger, iron deficiency will eventually develop.

•  A normal adult carries 3,5 – 4 g iron (3 500 – 4 000 mg), so a turnover of less tha 20 mg per days means a situa:onal change will take :me.

•  This is the natural state and the body is not adopted to having the normal turnover increased many :mes.

•  In normal health iron management in the body is conserva:ve with liUle or no loss of body iron save 1-2 mg being excreted, principally by sloughing of cells from the gastrointes:nal tract and skin, and menstrua:on.

Iron absorp:on

•  Most of the daily iron will be in non-heme form, which is bound in plants or bound chemically in the regular syntethic supplements. Non-heme iron is not very bioavailable, so more than 95 % will not be absorbed.

•  Heme iron is taken up at a significantly higher rate and will not produce side-effects like the syntethic supplements. It is also not affected by other simultaneously ingested food or drink.

Uptake of Non-Heme iron

•  30 days of supplementa:on with 100 mg Fe++ non-heme iron at a bio-availablity of 2 % theore:cally gives 60 mg absorbed iron. At 4 %, which is unusual, the amount is 120 mg.

•  Non-heme supplements at 100 mg Fe++ per dose regularly have an incidence of side-effects leading to termina:on of the therapy of around 30 %. Donors that have previous nega:ve experiences will usually not take the supplements at all.

Uptake of Heme iron

•  Supplementa:on with 18 mg of heme iron for thirty days with a bio-availability/uptake of 20 % gives 108 mg of absorbed iron.

•  Heme iron is very well tolerated and is known to have a side-effects ra:o as placebo. This means a higher therapy success rate.

This is why heme iron tablets with a dose of 18 mg Fe++ can compete with non-heme tablets of 100 mg Fe++

or even more.

More than 60 mg non-heme stops zinc uptake

•  A dose of more than 60 mg of non-heme iron per day will block the uptake of Zinc, which is an essen:al trace element vital for many biological func:ons and that has a crucial role in the enzyme system in the body.

•  Heme iron will not affect the uptake of Zinc.

Syntethic supplements in high doses

•  There is a clear tendency to use non-heme iron supplements in very large doses because many believe a strong deficiency situa:on should be cured as quickly as possible.

•  However there is a large risk for therapy-ruining side-effects and a normal uptake will not permit a large change quickly.

•  A steady therapy with an efficient and well tolerated iron, such as heme iron in tablet form, is therefore always preferable.

OptiFer® tablets are based on natural bovine heme iron and will safely and efficiently keep iron counts at an optimal level

www.op:fer.interna:onal www.hemeiron.com