The Importance of Iron for Health

Iron is one of the most important minerals for human health because it is:

• A component of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to tissues

• A component of myoglobin, another protein important for normal muscle function

• Essential for physical growth, neurological development, and cellular function

• Important for the synthesis of certain hormones¹

Iron deficiency is one of the most common forms of malnutrition worldwide and is defined as a reduction in the total amount of iron in the body. Iron deficiency occurs when the body’s demand for iron exceeds absorption. Causes of iron deficiency can be classified into four groups:

• Increased iron loss (chronic bleeding)

• Reduced iron intake through diet (insufficiently varied diet)

• Reduced iron absorption (certain gastrointestinal surgeries, inflammatory bowel diseases)

• Increased iron requirement (growing children, pregnant women, breastfeeding women)²

General recommendations for the intake of the recommended daily dose of iron via diet or supplements are:

• Men: 8 mg, as well as postmenopausal women

• Women of reproductive age: 15–18 mg¹

Differences Between Ferrous (Fe²⁺) and Ferric (Fe³⁺) Iron

Iron in dietary supplements comes in several forms. The most common on the market are ferrous (II) sulfate, ferrous (II) gluconate, ferric (III) citrate, and others. From this, we see there are two forms of iron:

• Ferrous form (Fe²⁺) – also called ferro iron

• Ferric form (Fe³⁺) – called ferri iron

Bioavailability and Absorption

What makes ferrous iron superior to ferric iron is its high bioavailability, meaning better absorption. This allows for lower doses of supplements containing ferrous iron compared to ferric iron, reducing the likelihood of side effects. At the same time, maintaining optimal iron levels in the body becomes more stable.

Oral iron therapy side effects are most commonly gastrointestinal in nature, including:

• Nausea

• Heartburn

• Abdominal pain

• Diarrhea

• Constipation

For this reason, it’s important that the patient tolerates the iron supplement well to ensure good compliance³.

Tolerance

Ferrous (II) gluconate is a complex of ferrous iron and gluconic acid, an organic acid derived from glucose, making it chemically similar to glucose. The digestive system is familiar with glucose, so most people tolerate gluconates very well. Compared to ferric compounds, ferrous gluconate shows significantly fewer gastrointestinal side effects⁷. These properties make it an excellent choice for addressing iron deficiency, especially in individuals prone to digestive issues.

The Importance of Vitamin C

Vitamin C is considered one of the most powerful antioxidants and plays a key role in improving iron absorption. This function not only helps the body absorb iron better from food but also from supplements. Combining vitamin C with iron increases the utilization of this vital nutrient by:

• Preventing the formation of poorly soluble and poorly absorbed compounds

• Enabling the reduction of ferric iron to ferrous iron, a prerequisite for iron uptake into the mucosal cells of the digestive system⁴

Iron in the diet can be divided into:

• Heme iron – found in animal-based foods such as red meat, fish, dark poultry meat, liver

• Non-heme iron – found in plant-based foods such as green leafy vegetables (chard, spinach, broccoli…), nuts, legumes

Heme iron stands out for its high bioavailability, ranging from 14% to 18%, whereas non-heme iron absorption ranges from 5% to 12%. Research has shown that vitamin C plays a crucial role in enhancing iron absorption, particularly from plant sources. Consuming vitamin C-rich foods or supplements along with iron-containing animal products can significantly improve the absorption of non-heme iron from plants—up to four times¹,⁵.

From the Dietpharm range, try the organic iron supplement Floradix® tonic. Floradix® is a safe iron supplement for everyone, especially pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, children and adolescents, older adults, convalescents, and those with an active lifestyle.

References:

1. National Institutes of Health. (2021). Iron: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Link

2. Laura Percy, Diana Mansour, Ian Fraser. 2017 Apr. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia in women. PubMed

3. Palacios Santiago. 2012. ScientificWorldJournal. Ferrous versus ferric oral iron formulations for the treatment of iron deficiency: a clinical overview. PubMed

4. L. Hallberg, M. Brune, L. Rossander. Int J Vitam Nutr Res Suppl. 1989:30:103–108. The role of vitamin C in iron absorption. PubMed

5. R. Monsen. J Am Diet Assoc. 1988 Jul;88(7):786–790. Iron nutrition and absorption: dietary factors which impact iron bioavailability. PubMed

6. RAMACHANDRAN et al.: Gluconic Acid: A Review, Food Technol. Biotechnol. 44 (2) 185–195 (2006)

7. Vahid Falahati, Ali Ghasemi, Kazem Ghaffari, Aziz Eghbali, Sanaz Khodabakhshi, Amir Almasi-Hashiani, Bahman Sadeghi-Sedeh, and Mostafa Shanbehzadeh. J Educ Health Promot. 2022. Comparison of the effect of ferrous sulfate and ferrous gluconate on prophylaxis of iron deficiency in toddlers 6–24 months old: A randomized clinical trial. PMC