If you’re feeling a bit rundown and tired – especially if you’re female – one of the first things other people tend to ask you is “Have you had your iron levels checked?”
And quite often, you might find that if you do, your iron’s not optimal. The most recent government survey of UK diets showed that young girls and adult women (aged up to 64) are often well below the recommended iron level – with teenage girls a particular concern. In fact, over time, levels seem to be dropping further.1
If your iron levels drop too far (see Dr Marber’s Lowdown on Iron), you can find that, yes, you’re tired and washed- out because your red blood cells aren’t delivering enough oxygen to your system efficiently. Iron has other roles in the body too, including keeping your immune system working properly.
If the levels plummet sufficiently, they’ll take you into iron-deficiency anaemia. However, they don’t have to have reached this level for you to be feeling the effects of being low in iron.2 And as the statistics show, it’s surprisingly common for iron levels not to be optimal. All sorts of things can contribute, from heavy periods to a rigorous workout regime. Since red meat is a rich source of iron, people who cut this out of their diets often need to keep an eye on their iron levels too. What’s more, there are times and circumstances when you’re required to have relatively high iron levels; if you’re going to donate blood, for instance, you should have sufficiently high iron to be able to cope with losing some of it.3
So what can you do to make sure your iron levels are at good level – and do your red blood cells a big favour?
Solgar Multi One Tablets
In addition to your diet, you may want to consider supplements, For men , in particular, it's often best to take this in combination with other micro nutrients, in a top-quality multivitamin and mineral supplement, such as Solgar® Multi One Tablets. “Unless men have a specific need and have been tested as such, it’s usually better to take a product that’ll cover everything,” explains Paul Chamberlain, nutrition and education director at Solgar.
Female Multiple Multivitamin Tablets
For women of childbearing age, Paul suggests Female Multiple Multivitamin Tablets as a similarly good option, with B12, iron and folic acid to support healthy blood production and flow. And if you’re pregnant, a tailored supplement such as Prenatal Nutrients Tablets, which is especially formulated for the needs of pregnant and lactating women, contains 20 nutrients including folic acid, calcium and B vitamins along with iron.
Gentle Iron (Iron Bisglycinate) 20 mg Vegetable Capsules
If you do choose an iron-only supplement, Gentle Iron (Iron Bisglycinate) 20 mg Vegetable Capsules will be easier on your digestive system than some other tablets, which may sometimes give you constipation and/or bloating. Alternatively, Earth Source Food Fermented Koji Iron 27 mg contains fermented iron made by a natural process, producing a bioavailable slower-release form of this mineral.
1 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ndns-results-from-years-9-to-11-2016-to-2017-and-2018-to-2019/ndns-results-from-years-9-to-11-combined-statistical-summary
2 https://www.rcpjournals.org/content/clinmedicine/21/2/107.full.pdf
3 https://www.blood.co.uk/the-donation-process/further-information/haemoglobin-and-iron/
Disclaimer:
Food supplements should not be used instead of a varied balanced diet & healthy lifestyle.
Remember to keep all supplements, but particularly iron, out of reach of small children as a very high dose of iron can be damaging.