Doctors’ Brand Vitamin Supplement Analysis
Nutrient ~ Mineral: IRON
What Does It Do? Iron is part of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of the blood. Iron-deficient people tire easily in part because their bodies are starved for oxygen. Iron is also part of myoglobin, which helps muscle cells store oxygen. Without enough iron, ATP (the fuel the body runs on) cannot be properly synthesized. As a result, some iron-deficient people become fatigued even when their hemoglobin levels are normal (i.e., when they are not anemic). Although iron is part of the antioxidant enzyme catalase, iron is not generally considered an antioxidant, because too much iron can cause oxidative damage.
FDA Daily Value (RDI): 18 mg
National Academy of Sciences (NAS)
Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) (Highest Value): RDA: Men 8 mg
Women 18 mg
(Old RDA: 18 mg)
UL: 45 mg
UC Berkeley Wellness Letter
A cup of prune juice has 3 milligrams of iron (that's 37% of the RDA for men, 17% of the RDA for premenopausal women).
Wholehealthmd.com
Authority: Government statistics indicate that 11% of women under age 50 and 9% of adolescents are iron-deficient. Dieters, some vegetarians, and endurance athletes may also develop iron deficiency due to the unique demands on their bodies.
Other resources:
Consumer Labs, Inc. ~
A double-blind placebo-controlled trial of 42 non-anemic women with evidence of slightly low iron reserves found that iron supplements significantly increased the benefits gained from exercise.36 Participants were put on a daily aerobic training program for the latter 4 weeks of this 6-week trial. At the end of the trial, those receiving iron showed significantly greater gains in speed and endurance as compared to those given placebo. In addition, a double-blind placebo-controlled study of 40 non-anemic elite athletes with mildly low iron stores found that 12 weeks of iron supplementation enhanced aerobic performance
Mayo Clinic Nutrition Center ~
Maximum daily intake (from all sources) unlikely to pose risk of side effects for adults: 45 mg/day
What it does: Iron is a mineral that is an essential constituent of blood and muscle and that is important for the transport of oxygen.
What the research says: When there is not enough iron in your diet, too few red blood cells are made to adequately carry oxygen. This condition is called iron deficiency anemia and can affect women of childbearing age and people with conditions that cause internal bleeding, such as ulcers or intestinal diseases. But for healthy men and postmenopausal women, iron deficiency is rare. If you want to make sure you're getting enough iron, your best bet is to eat a nutritionally balanced diet containing iron-rich foods such as found in meat, seafood and poultry. A 3-ounce portion of beef, pork, lamb or veal contains 2 to 3 mg of iron.
Blue Cross BluePrint for Health ~
Iron absorption is also affected by other things you eat. For example, one way to enhance your body's ability to absorb iron is to add a food containing vitamin C to your meal. Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron from other foods. On the other hand, you shouldn't drink coffee or tea with your meal because the tannins each contains reduce absorbability. Calcium has a similar effect, although it's not exactly understood why.
How much is enough? The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is 18mg/day for women age 19 to 50, but that recommendation jumps to 27 mg/day if you're pregnant. If you do actually become so iron deficient that you develop anemia, eating more iron-rich foods would be beneficial, but won't be enough to correct the problem. At that point, you'll need to consult with your doctor about taking iron supplements.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Integrative Medicine ~ No discussion
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database ~
Supplemental iron seems to improve verbal learning and memory in non-anemic iron-deficient adolescent girls. It might also reverse developmental and learning deficits in iron-deficient children. ...when given orally before surgery for reducing a postoperative decrease in hemoglobin. Supplemental iron given 1 month prior to joint replacement surgery seems to protect against a fall in hemoglobin during the immediate post-operative converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Ferrous sulfate 256 mg daily might reduce or eliminate cough associated with ACE inhibitors such as captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), Lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), and others.
Linus Pauling Institute – Oregon State University ~
THE LINUS PAULING INSTITUTE RECOMMENDATION: Following the most recent RDA for iron should provide sufficient iron to prevent deficiency without causing adverse effects in most individuals. Although sufficient iron can be obtained through a varied diet, a considerable number of people do not consume adequate iron to prevent deficiency. A multivitamin/multimineral supplement containing 100% of the daily value (DV) for iron provides 18 mg of elemental iron. While this amount of iron may be beneficial for premenopausal women, it is well above the RDA for men and most postmenopausal women.
Adult men and postmenopausal women: Since hereditary hemochromatosis is relatively common and the effects of long-term dietary iron excess on chronic disease risk are not yet clear, men and postmenopausal women who are not at risk of iron deficiency should take a multivitamin/mineral supplement without iron. A number of multivitamins formulated specifically for men or those over 50 years of age do not contain iron.
Adults over the age of 65: A recent study in an elderly population found that high iron stores were much more common than iron deficiency. Thus, older adults should not generally take nutritional supplements containing iron unless they have been diagnosed with iron deficiency. Moreover, it is extremely important to determine the underlying cause of the iron deficiency, rather than simply treating it with iron supplements.
Risks/Interactions/Contraindications:
· · Iron supplements are NOT recommended for everybody. Chronically high intakes of iron can lead to the accumulation of iron in tissues such as the heart and liver, which can lead to toxic damage and increased risk for disease.
· · A separate condition called hemochromatosis (found primarily in middle-aged men) can lead to excessive iron absorption and accumulation of toxic iron levels in the heart, liver, spleen, and pancreas.
For more detailed information on Safety, Toxicity and Drug Interactions, please refer to: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins.html.
USDA
The USDA Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, 1994-96 showed a daily nutrient Iron intake from food consumed was 18.6 mg for Men & 13 mg for Women. The mean percentage of individuals with diets meeting 100% of the RDA for Iron were 86% of Men and 32% of Women.
Doctors’ Brand Supplement Recommendation: Given the serious consequences of excess iron intake, information indicating a general lack of deficiency among men, and a wide disparity of deficiency states among women, we consider it prudent not to include Iron in Doctors' Brand standard multi-vitamin formulas. However, due to the unique needs of the bariatric population it is appropriate to include 100% RDA of Iron in Doctors' Brand Bariatric Multi-Vitamins and Minerals Formula. If anemia or an iron deficiency is suspected, a physician should be consulted, and if testing indicates, a specific iron supplement should be taken to supplement Doctors' Brand standard multi-vitamins.
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