Some points on why a low-dose therapy is better

1. Why Low-dose is more efficient than High-dose
when it comes to iron

2. 1. Restoring counts take time
Restoring iron values takes a while, just like the onset and development
of iron deficiency doesn't happen overnight. It is a question of balance
where the uptake of iron needs to match the losses.
Natural losses include for instance loss of blood through menstruation
and natural intake is based on the diet.

3. 2. Natural dose
The regular amount of iron we need in a mixed diet is 12 - 18 mg in total
per day.
In healthy individuals the average iron demand is 1 mg daily for men, 1.5 - 2.5
mg daily for women and during pregnancy 2-3 mg daily corresponding to a
total of 500 - 1 000 mg, which will be absorbed from the daily diet.

4. This means that if our intake is lacking this amount or the losses are larger, iron
deficiency will eventually develop.
A normal adult carries 3,5 – 4 g iron (3 500 – 4 000 mg), so a turnover of less
tha 20 mg per days means a situational change will take time.
This is the natural state and the body is not adopted to having the normal
turnover increased many times.
In normal health iron management in the body is conservative with little or no
loss of body iron save 1-2 mg being excreted, principally by sloughing of cells
from the gastrointestinal tract and skin, and menstruation.

5. 3. Iron absorption
Most of the daily iron will be in non-heme form, which is bound in plants or
bound chemically in the regular syntethic supplements. Non-heme iron is not
very bioavailable, so more than 95 % will not be absorbed.
Heme iron is taken up at a significantly higher rate and will not produce side-effects
like the syntethic supplements. It is also not affected by other
simultaneously ingested food or drink.

6. Uptake of Non-Heme iron
30 days of supplementation with 100 mg Fe++ non-heme iron at a bio-availablity
of 2 % theoretically gives 60 mg absorbed iron. At 4 %, which is
unusual, the amount is 120 mg.
Non-heme supplements at 100 mg Fe++ per dose regularly have an incidence
of side-effects leading to termination of the therapy of around 30 %. Donors
that have previous negative experiences will usually not take the supplements
at all.

7. Uptake of Heme iron
Supplementation with 18 mg of heme iron for thirty days with a
bio-availability/uptake of 20 % gives 108 mg of absorbed iron.
Heme iron is very well tolerated and is known to have a side-effects
ratio as placebo. This means a higher therapy success rate.
This is why heme iron tablets with a dose of 18 mg Fe++ can
compete with non-heme tablets of 100 mg Fe++.

8. 4. More than 60 mg non-heme stops zinc uptake
A dose of more than 60 mg of non-heme iron per day will block the uptake of
Zinc, which is an essential trace element vital for many biological functions and
that has a crucial role in the enzyme system in the body.
Heme iron will not affect the uptake of Zinc.

9. 5. Syntethic supplements with high doses
There is a clear tendency to use non-heme iron supplements in very large
doses because many believe a strong deficiency situation should be cured as
quickly
as possible.
However there is a large risk for therapy-ruining side-effects and a normal
uptake will not permit a large change quickly.
A steady therapy with an efficient and well tolerated iron, such as heme iron in
tablet form, is therefore always preferable.

10. OptiFer® tablets are based on natural bovine heme iron and
will safely and efficiently keep iron counts at an optimal level
www.ferrocare.se www.hemeiron.com