Iron Info from DX - need to share this!
This is a copy of what DX sent me that he posted on the Mens Boards -
ALOT of great info here -
The Women are very aware of Iron needs.
That whole menstrual cycle thing
Causes so much iron deficiency among them
That the typical "Women’s Formula" Vitamins
Are usually just normal multi- Plus Iron.
It’s an issue that they deal with as Non-Ops.
But for men, it is very rare
That we ever have Iron deficiencies-
Except those of us Men, who have had Gastric Bypass,
Specifically- RNY.
Suddenly we go from a group that rarely if ever
Experiences Iron Deficiency, to a group that
Has a 33% to 50% occurrence rate.
So, chances are somewhere between 1 out of 3
And half of the guys reading this
Will experience an Iron deficiency at some point.
That is unless- We take care of our business!
Yes?
So-
Some Iron Man Talk!-
Iron allows our blood to carry Oxygen in our blood.
Not enough Iron, Oxygen is not efficiently
Carried throughout our bodies.
The symptoms can be- fatigue, headaches, weakness,
Irritability, pale skin color, unusual cravings,
And decreased resistance to infection.
At Even, at more serious low levels-
Heart palpitations, hair loss, low blood pressure,
And Shortness of Breath.
The causes for our Iron deficiency are two-fold. -
Iron is primarily absorbed in the proximal jejunum
(Upper small intestine) as well as the duodenum.
Iron normally begins breaking down in the stomach
With the acids and continues breaking down and
Is absorbed in the upper intestine.
With RNY patients, our lower portion of stomach
Is bypassed, therefore missing the whole stomach acids
Event needed to break down the iron,
And also the upper portion of the small intestine is bypassed
Thus skipping the primary absorption sites for iron.
Lap-Banding doesn’t create either of these problems with iron
But the DS, even though it keeps the lower stomach
And acid production/interaction, it still bypasses and therefore
Can result in reduced iron absorption.
So, as a rule, we tend to have some degree of iron deficiency
Inherent in the whole bypass business.
So, to get more Iron?
The easiest is to eat iron rich foods.
Red Meat, Eggs, fish, Green leafy veggies,
As well as Peas and Beans.
There is also a high iron content in dried fruits
Such as apricots, raisins, and prunes,
As well as all of the "fortified" cereals and breads,
Nuts and seeds.
The dried fruits will also "keep you regular"
But at higher amounts, may cause dumping in some. (me)
But, with reduced intake, and not always making
Your food choices based on-
"How much Iron is in this?"
It is probably just easier to take a supplement.
Iron supplements come in-
Ferric –Or- Ferrous forms.
The FERRIC supplements need the stomach acids to
Make them absorbable.
So,
The ferrous is considered better because it is
Easily absorbed.
Read your labels!
These show up on the shelves and in multi-vitamins as-
Ferrous Sulfate, Ferrous Gluconate, and Ferrous Fumarate.
The AAMC’s Biochemistry page lists-
"Oral administration of Ferrous Sulfate
Is the Most Commonly used Iron Supplement"
But, even though when taken with a mild acid such as juice
It has acceptable "Bio-Availability," It’s Not the best.
Although ferrous sulfate is often recommended to treat iron deficiency,
Frequent problems with the drug including gastrointestinal discomfort,
Bloating and other distress, make it unacceptable to many patients
Second most common Iron Supplement? – Ferrous Gluconate,
Which is roughly equivalent in cost, produces fewer problems,
And is preferable as the initial treatment of iron deficiency.
(it also happens to be the compound used to color or "dye" ripe "black" olives)
(so a few of these now and then have the added perk of Iron.)
(also dropping a little "Factoid" in here- Cooking in an Iron skillet or pot
will add substantial Iron to the foods you eat. Just a thought)
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) along with the supplement enhances the absorption.
Combination tablets containing iron salts and ascorbic acid
Are significantly more expensive than separate tablets for each, however.
Ferrous Fumarate is the often the Iron of By-Passers choice because
It has the highest % of absorbable iron "of the ferrous versions."
The Office of Dietary Supplements
At The National Institute of Health,
Lists Ferrous Fumarate
As containing twice as much absorbable iron as
F-Gluconate, and 3 times as much as F- Sulfate.
(before breaking into a discussion of-"My Iron is Better…" some more info)
I don’t take the Ferrous Types because I take a prescription Iron supplement.
My Doctor says to, and my insurance pays for it.
My prescription is
POLY-IRON 150.
(POLY-IRON) The Generic Name: iron polysaccharide
Also comes in the Brand names-
Fe-Tinic 150, Hytinic, Niferex, and Nu-Iron 150
Polysaccharide-iron complex, (What I’m on)
A replacement form of iron that differs from the iron salts,
Is a more recent option.
Most patients tolerate this form of iron better than the iron salts,
Even though the 150 mg of elemental iron per tablet
Is substantially greater than that provided by iron salts (50 to 70 mg per tablet).
Still, According to-
The Harvard Center for Sickle Cell and Thalassemic Disorders
"No study exists comparing iron uptake from polysaccharide-iron complex and ferric salts."
There’s also Iron Bisglycinate, often sold as "Gentle Iron"
Because it is easy on the digestive tract.
The only "non-Vitamin Sales Site" info I have concerning iron bisglycinate
Is from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition-
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/72/6/1592
Which found-
"No advantage of using ferrous bisglycinate as an iron fortificant."
It is an Older article however from 2000
A 2006 article from –
U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, & Human Service
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract
&list_uids=15864409&query_hl=3&itool=pubmed_docsum
Showed that when taken or administered along with Ascorbic acid,
The relative bio-availability (RBV) of seven different commercially available
Elemental iron powders (actual only 5 on the market, 2 in testing trials)
---No significant overall ranking was possible.
All that to say?
Ask your doc!
And if the Ferrous Sulfate gives you Constipation or gas
Try another. But by all means take what ever one you use
Along with some Vitamin C.
With Vitamin C? There’s not enough difference between them to be
Measured by Current (2006) Technology.
So,
Do you need it?????????????????????????????
Iron levels should regularly be checked
Along with your normal blood tests.
The
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