Iron Supplements – A Review

Executif Summary about Iron Supplements By Dave Tupniak

iron supplements

Iron supplements are often given to individuals who for some reason or another are low in Iron concentrations in their blood. This article aims to provide some clarification about what iron is, when iron deficiency can occur, who may need to take iron supplements to prevent a deficiency, and the risk of iron toxicity.

What is Iron?

Iron is an essential element that plays a key role in normal human physiology.

When can iron deficiency occur?

Iron deficiency occurs when the balance of iron that is taken into the body is less than what is required by the body for normal function. The process of iron deficiency is usually slow because the body will first try to compensate for the imbalance by tapping into the forms of iron storage within the body. Once the iron storage forms are depleted, blood hemoglobin levels begin to decrease leading to iron deficiency anemia.

Iron deficiency anemia can be associated with low amounts of iron being taken in through the diet, poor absorption of iron from the GI tract, or excessive blood loss. Individuals who have the greatest need for iron such as pregnant woman, woman of child bearing age, premature or low birth weight infants, older infants, and teenage girls, may be at the greatest risk of developing iron deficient anemia.

Individuals with certain disorders such as kidney failure, vitamin A deficiencies, and absorption disorders are also open to iron deficiencies. Vitamin A is needed to help utilize stored Iron in the body. If you have low amounts of vitamin A, stored iron can’t be utilized.

Who needs iron supplements?

There are three types of people who may need to take iron supplements. Those who lose more iron, those who do not absorb sufficient amounts of iron and those who require more amounts of iron.

It has already been mentioned that pregnant women, woman of childbearing age, premature infants, toddlers, teenage girls, people suffering from renal failure, and people with GI disorders who do not absorb normal amounts of iron may benefit from iron supplements.

Vegetarians may need to consider iron supplements as the vegetarian’s diet may not be sufficient to reach the recommended daily intake of iron. It is not just that fruits and vegetables have lower amounts of iron in them than meat, but the absorption of plant iron vs. meat iron is much more difficult in the human body. The three groups of athletes that may be at the highest risk of iron deficiency are female athletes, distance runners, and vegetarian athletes.

What is the risk of iron toxicity?

The risk for iron toxicity can run very high if someone is taking iron supplementation that does not need it. Remember to keep any iron supplement away from children.

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