Iron Deficiency Supplement Causes Constipation, Inexpensive Solution

Iron deficiency is often an unsolved problem because common iron supplements cause many people constipation. A new kind of iron supplement, ionic iron, is the solution for iron deficiency. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when there’s too little iron for the body to make enough hemoglobin.

Iron Deficiency (.gov)
Iron Deficiency Recommendations (.gov)

Many women live with chronic iron deficiency because they can’t get enough iron from their diet and can’t find an iron supplement that doesn’t cause digestive problems. People who eat little or no red meat may also have an iron deficiency because red meat is one of the few good sources of iron. Hospitals and rehabilitation facilities try and fail to correct iron deficiency with long outdated iron supplements (iron sulfate (ferrous sulfate)) and a stool softener. Ionic iron supplement is the solution for iron deficiency.

Iron Sources (.gov)
Iron Content Of Food Search (.gov)


Iron Facts (.gov.uk, .pdf)

Iron Deficiency Solution

Ionic iron easily corrects and prevents iron deficiency because it contains extremely small portions of iron, so small they easily pass through the cell membrane (cell wall) and into the cell – kind of like shooting a BB through a chain link fence. There’s no digestion involved with ionic iron. Ionic iron is used directly by cells without any processing by the digestive system, although at some point in the body making use of ionic iron some vitamin C is needed.

Using an ionic iron supplement labeled “2,000 ppm” or “2,000 mg/L”, the amount of ionic iron needed is fairly small. For women who eat red meat (beef, venison) only a 1/4 teaspoon daily is needed, otherwise 1/2 a teaspoon daily. Men (and women who don’t lose blood monthly) who eat red meat fairly regularly don’t need an iron supplement, otherwise 1/32 every OTHER day. You’ll know if these amounts are or become too much; excess iron causes problems with fatigue. (See iron deficiency symptoms / too much iron symptoms heading below.) So little of ionic iron is needed to satisfy iron needs because so much iron is absorbed from ionic iron. For example, when 5 mg of iron from food is eaten, only about 1 mg of iron is absorbed, but when 5 mg of iron from an ionic iron supplement is taken, about 5 mg of iron is absorbed.

Some complain that iron and water makes rust and that ionic iron is watery rust and does nothing for iron deficiency. Rust is iron oxide (Fe2O3). Red blood cells carry oxygen from the air inhaled into the lungs to all cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen in the form of iron oxide (within a porphyrin ring molecule). Oxygen easily bonds to iron (rust) and the chemistry of cells easily removes oxygen from iron (no longer rust) and uses the oxygen for cellular respiration, making iron great for picking up oxygen from lungs and delivering the oxygen to cells.

Another New Type Of Iron Supplement (.gov)

Important Pros and Cons Of Iron Rich Foods and Iron Supplements

Cons

While iron is a necessary nutrient, be sure you’re getting no more than the RDA of iron. Iron is a catalyst for free radicals, so excess iron means excess free radicals. Excess free radicals causes inflammation, inflammation causes all sort of problems, including making all illnesses and disease worse. Excess free radicals can even be a root cause for many diseases of deterioration (cancer, heart disease, arthritis, etc.)

Iron Accumulation, 2nd paragraph (.gov)
Iron Cause of Inflammatory, Degenerative Disease (.gov)
Cancer Cells Protect Themselves From Iron

Pros

The reason why preventing iron deficiency is important is because iron is carries oxygen from the lungs in the form of hemoglobin to all cells of the body. Iron is necessary for oxygen use and storage in the muscles as myoglobin, as a transport medium for electrons within the cells in the form of cytochromes, and as an integral part of enzyme reactions in various tissues. Iron deficiency interferes with these vital functions causing symptoms of iron deficiency. But too much iron is also a problem because too much iron causes deep fatigue and is a catalyst for (speeds up creation of) free radicals.

(During an iron deficiency, red blood cells are actually less red, causing pale complexion. The color of blood is often attributed to the color of iron oxide (rust), but this is incorrect. Blood contains hemoglobin which contains molecules of an iron-porphyrin ring complex which are purple without oxygen and turn bright red as the iron in the ring picks up oxygen. “Porphyrin” is Greek for the word purple. Blood in veins is purple and looks blue when viewed from outside the body.)

Iron Absorption and Food Sources

Iron in plant food is called non heme iron and generally is not a good source of iron; only 2-20% eaten makes it through the digestive system and into the blood stream where it is delivered to cells. The fiber content of plant food, especially grains (i.e. flour), seeds, and legumes (beans) reduces iron absorption. Also, the milling of grain into non whole grain flour (white and light colored flour) removes the bran and germ from grain which removes 70% of the naturally occurring iron and other nutrients in flour. Absorption of non heme iron increases with vitamin C. Women who are vegetarians and don’t make a real effort to eat iron rich plant food daily nor a well tolerated iron supplement, likely have an iron deficiency.

Non Heme Iron Preserved By Vitamin C (.gov)
Non Heme Iron Absorption and Iron Status (.gov)

Iron in meat and dairy, called heme iron, is attached to a type of protein (called heme protein) and is much better absorbed (10-35%) than the non heme iron of plant food. Red meat contains quite a bit more heme iron than meat that is not red meat. Red meat includes beef and venison. Meat such as poultry and luncheon meats like bologna are not red meat.

Heme Iron And Iron Absorption (.gov)

During an iron deficiency much more iron is absorbed than when three’s no iron deficiency. Heme iron increases the absorption of iron from plant food (non heme iron). The easiest site to use for finding the iron content of a food is found through the link below. Type the food in the “Keywords” field and hit the gray “submit” button to start.

Iron Deficiency Symptoms / Too Much Iron Symptoms

Iron deficiency symptoms include muscular weakness, fatigue, deep fatigue, and shortness of breath, which is difficulty breathing often enough or deep enough during normal physical activity. symptom. Iron deficiency also brittle nails, blue tinted white portion of the eye.

Too much iron causes causes fatigue or deep fatigue which can be observed as increased time between waking up and physically getting out and staying out of bed.

Iron Deficiency Symptoms (.gov)

U.S. RDA For Iron

Ladies
9 – 13: 8 mg
14-18: 15 mg
19-50: 18 mg
51+: 8 mg

Pregnancy
14-18: 27 mg
19-50: 27 mg

Lactation
14-18: 10 mg
19-50: 9 mg

Gentlemen
9  – 13: 8 mg
14- 18: 11 mg
19- 50: 8 mg
51 +: 8 mg

U.S. RDA For Iron (.gov)