27 replies to this topic

[NeuroNootropic]

I recently had my ferritin levels checked and they came back at 36 ug/L on a reference range of 22 - 322. Iron is a co-factor in the production of dopamine by working alongside tyrosine hydroxylase. From the articles I've read, RLS develops when ferritin levels drop below 50 ug/L. I've actually been having some RLS symptoms before I started supplementing with Iron, but nothing too severe. I actually do not have any RLS now and I think it's because of the iron. Also, my hemoglobin came back low.

I started taking 18 mg of Iron Bisglycinate 2 weeks ago. The brand name is NOW Foods. I take it with my multivitamin, which has Vitamin C, and with magnesium citrate. This article states that iron in combination with vitamin c promotes free radicals:

Co-supplementation' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC340385/']Co-supplementation of ferrous salts with vitamin C exacerbates oxidative stress in the gastrointestinal tract leading to ulceration in healthy individuals, exacerbation of chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases and can lead to cancer. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) have been ascribed an important role in oxidative stress. Redox-active metal ions such as Fe(II) and Cu(I) further activate RONS and thus perpetuate their damaging effects. Ascorbic acid can exert a pro-oxidant effect by its interaction with metal ions via a number of established RONS generating systems which are reviewed here. Further studies are required to examine the detrimental effects of nutraceuticals especially in chronic inflammatory conditions which co-present with anaemia.

→ source (external link)

The benefits I've noticed from Iron supplementation are as follows:

• Slightly improved consummatory and anticipatory anhedonia
• Slightly improved libido
• Laughter is actually enjoyable now whereas before it was just a way for me to blow air through my nose
• Improved verbal fluency. What I mean by this is that I am better able to articulate myself and get my message across. I also am able to better form sentences as well as utilize terms that accurately describe what I am conjuring in my head.
• Less shortness of breath and improved recovery when doing HIIT exercise

Should I just take it every other day to make the effective dose 9 mg instead of 18 mg? Would that be safe in the long term?

[renfr]

Well it isn't dangerous if you have high ceruloplasmin levels.
Ceruloplasmin stores iron in ferritin in its non toxic form.
The only thing you will have to check is your ferritin levels.
If they go over 100 then you'll have to start taking phytic acid to reduce its accumulation in ferritin.
Then you can restart the protocol.

[blood]

I've been supplementing with low doses of iron picolinate (around 20 mg elemental iron/day) recently. I've noticed startling improvements in my alertness, mental stamina, & motivation. I never thought I'd be one of those fools taking an iron supplement - but here I am... :|

My ferritin was, at last, check 50. I'm tentatively concluding that my vegan-ish diet was producing a mild cognitive impairment via a functional iron deficiency.

I suspect that two other habits of mine were exacerbating the problem:

1) daily, high dose curcurmim:
 

2014

Curcumin may impair iron status when fed to mice for six months.

Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/24634837

Dawn Chin, Patricia Huebbe, Jan Frank, Gerald Rimbach and Kathrin Pallauf


Curcumin has been shown to have many potentially health beneficial properties in vitro and in animal models with clinical studies on the toxicity of curcumin reporting no major side effects. However, curcumin may chelate dietary trace elements and could thus potentially exert adverse effects. Here, we investigated the effects of a 6 month dietary supplementation with 0.2% curcumin on iron, zinc, and copper status in C57BL/6J mice. Compared to non-supplemented control mice, we observed a significant reduction in iron, but not zinc and copper stores, in the liver and the spleen, as well as strongly suppressed liver hepcidin and ferritin expression in the curcumin-supplemented mice. The expression of the iron-importing transport proteins divalent metal transporter 1 and transferrin receptor 1 was induced, while hepatic and splenic inflammatory markers were not affected in the curcumin-fed mice. The mRNA expression of other putative target genes of curcumin, including the nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 and haem oxygenase 1 did not differ between the groups. Most of the published animal trials with curcumin-feeding have not reported adverse effects on iron status or the spleen. However, it is possible that long-term curcumin supplementation and a Western-type diet may aggravate iron deficiency. Therefore, our findings show that further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of curcumin supplementation on iron status.

2013

Depletion of cellular iron by curcumin leads to alteration in histone acetylation and degradation of Sml1p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Link: http://www.plosone.o...al.pone.0059003

Gajendra Kumar Azad, Vikash Singh, Upendarrao Golla and Raghuvir S Tomar


Curcumin, a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound, is known to possess diverse pharmacological properties. There is a scarcity of literature documenting the exact mechanism by which curcumin modulates its biological effects. In the present study, we have used yeast as a model organism to dissect the mechanism underlying the action of curcumin. We found that the yeast mutants of histone proteins and chromatin modifying enzymes were sensitive to curcumin and further supplementation of iron resulted in reversal of the changes induced by curcumin. Additionally, treatment of curcumin caused the iron starvation induced expression of FET3, FRE1 genes. We also demonstrated that curcumin induces degradation of Sml1p, a ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor involved in regulating dNTPs production. The degradation of Sml1p was mediated through proteasome and vacuole dependent protein degradation pathways. Furthermore, curcumin exerts biological effect by altering global proteome profile without affecting chromatin architecture. These findings suggest that the medicinal properties of curcumin are largely contributed by its cumulative effect of iron starvation and epigenetic modifications.

I still take a 500 mg Meriva cap daily (only contains ~100 mg curcuminoids). I use LEF bio-curcumin (~400 mg curcuminoids) every second or third day now, and might drop it completely. This has made a difference.


2) daily zinc picolinate. Zinc picolinate is the most effective form of supplemental zinc (for getting zinc into cells throughout the body). A study done back in the 80s (which I'm having trouble locating) found that zinc picolinate given in low-ish doses to elderly folks could bring on iron-deficiency anemia (so effectively is it absorbed & transported). I take zinc picolinate because I perceive benefits from it. I now take it on alternating days, & am limiting my dose to around 20 mg elemental zinc.

A question is how long do I take the iron picolinate (how high do I let my ferritin rise)? I'd be worried if I saw it rise above 100. I have to pay attention to the improvements that I perceive in the functioning of my mind & body & to some extent ignore the numbers (black box testing, to use a software development metaphor).

Edited by blood, 24 May 2014 - 11:24 PM.

[niner]

Neuro, if you are going to supplement iron, keep an eye on your ferritin level.  36 may be inadequate for you, but something in the 60-75 range might be fine.  Whatever you do, try to keep the vitamin C away from the iron.  Don't take so much iron that you have to take countermeasures to bring your ferritin back down.  It isn't that easy to raise it, but don't get anxious and OD on supplemental iron.

[gt35r]

It is funny you mention this because I used to avoid Iron as a supplement and in food in general.  Iron does in increase chances of developing ROS and RNS but it is important you have a level that is suitable for healthy body function. I avoided Iron so much  that last week I found out I had my ferritin was 15. 

 

My signs/symptoms were:

-Worsening  Insomnia

-Reoccurring sores on tongue and mouth

-dizziness from physical activity

 

...with these symptoms I new I was deficient in Iron about a week before I got the blood work done but I figured i'd wait to see if it was official. 

 

Now I take 20mg Iron bisglycinate with vitamin C(with food). My advice is to go ahead and take the Iron until your ferritin levels are back above 70. After that I would discontinue iron and just watch my diet; at least thats my plan. 

 

 

[blood]

It is funny you mention this because I used to avoid Iron as a supplement and in food in general... last week I found out I had my ferritin was 15.

I guess you've been avoiding eating meat?

[gt35r]

 

It is funny you mention this because I used to avoid Iron as a supplement and in food in general... last week I found out I had my ferritin was 15.

I guess you've been avoiding eating meat?

 

Yes for the most part and If I did eat meat it would chicken or something like that. I do eat a decent amount of greens but apparently i am not good at absorbing non-heme iron. 

[normalizing]

i was reading that huge doses of iron are present in tons of various plants, therefore vegetarian diets should always be adequate for normalizing iron levels. but then i found out iron from plant material is hardly absorbable. i dont understand how is this possible. can someone explain to me how can for example something contain like 50% iron per 100 grams and a person having no ability to even absorb 5% of it?

[niner]

can someone explain to me how can for example something contain like 50% iron per 100 grams and a person having no ability to even absorb 5% of it?

It all depends on the chemical form that the iron is in.  Heme iron, the form in meat, is pretty bioavailable.  The iron in plants is probably bound to compounds that hang on to it very tightly (phytates, maybe?) so its bioavailability is low.  Metals form complexes with most anything that presents a pair of electrons, but the strength of those complexes varies depending on both the metal and the thing it's bound to (known as the "ligand" in chem jargon).  Some ligands improve bioavailability, and others harm it.  This is a function of both the degree to which the ligand hangs on, and the chemical nature of the part of the ligand  that isn't involved in metal binding.

[normalizing]

^ as i have seen quite percent of iron present in plants, why would plants need iron? they use magnesium as the center of their green blood, not iron as humans do. so im confused of existence of such high percent of iron in plants....

 

was also wondering if magnesium is severely impaired in absorption as well by being bond to something specific like phytate or ligand or whatever else. it seems minerals are hard to be acquired from plants in general. i checked calcium might be present in high amounts yet its as difficult to absorb as iron if your diet is based on plants only.

Edited by normalizing, 27 May 2014 - 09:41 PM.

[NeuroNootropic]

Neuro, if you are going to supplement iron, keep an eye on your ferritin level.  36 may be inadequate for you, but something in the 60-75 range might be fine.  Whatever you do, try to keep the vitamin C away from the iron.  Don't take so much iron that you have to take countermeasures to bring your ferritin back down.  It isn't that easy to raise it, but don't get anxious and OD on supplemental iron.

 

Will do. I think I'm going to take it 5x a week and skip the weekends. After reading about the interaction of vitamin C and iron I stopped taking it with my multivitamin and now take it in the evening after a meal. Regarding iron overload, I found this article on the manufacturer's website that states Ferrochel (Iron Bisglycinate) does not carry a risk of iron overload because the body can regulate absorption:

 

When the hemoglobin levels were low, the absorption of the iron from the mucosal cells was greater, as reflected by the greater changes in hemoglobin. The more efficient the movement of Ferrochel at stage

one of iron absorption allowed more of this iron to be taken up to the mucosal cells in response to the body’s demand for iron. As the hemoglobin levels elevated, Ferrochel movement from mucosal cells to the serosa dropped. This natural regulation of Ferrochel’s movement into the bloodstream points to its high degree of safety against iron overload on long term use.

→ source (external link)

 

 

 

I also found an article that says rats given 500 mg/kg of Ferrochel showed no adverse effects:

 

Iron is estimated to be deficient in the diets of one fifth of the world's population. Iron is commonly provided as a supplemental nutrient in industrialized countries for uses of choice. In other countries of the world, it may be required as an overt addition to the diet to prevent iron deficiency. This may be accomplished through fortification of a common food. As a micronutrient, iron has a relatively narrow range of safety--whether given as a supplement or fortificant, it must be in a high enough dose to be appreciably absorbed, but low enough to avoid toxicity. This concern can be ameliorated by careful choice of the form of iron administered. A source of iron which has proven to be highly bioavailable, yet regulated by dietary need, is iron chelated with amino acids. The structural integrity and longevity of these compounds have been proven by valid chemical and instrumental tests. Proofs of safety of iron amino acid chelate in the dietary administration of iron to swine in both multigenerational and longevity studies are reported. Formal tests of toxicity utilizing ferrous bisglycinate chelate (Ferrochel) carried out in accordance to US-FDA guidelines are also summarized. Ferrochel has been demonstrated to have a No Observable Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of at least 500 mg per kg rat body weight, the highest dose tested. This and other results of the detailed toxicity test, as well as other tests of safety and efficacy, have resulted in the US-FDA acknowledging that this product is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) under its approved conditions of use as a source of iron for food enrichment and fortification purposes.

→ source (external link)

 

I'm not sure how this works or if it's even true, but I'm still going to take precautions.

 

Regarding Iron's effects on anhedonia, here's a study that found iron deficiency in the brain of animals caused defects in the dopaminergic-opiate system:

 

While iron deficiency is not perceived as a life threatening disorder, it is the most prevalent nutritional abnormality in the world, and a better understanding of modes and sites of action, can help devise better treatment programs for those who suffer from it. Nowhere is this more important than in infants and children that make up the bulk of iron deficiency in society. Although the effects of iron deficiency have been extensively studied in systemic organs, until very recently little attention was paid to its effects on brain function. The studies of Oski at Johns Hopkin Medical School in 1974, demonstrating the impairment of learning in young school children with iron deficiency, prompted us to study its relevance to brain biochemistry and function in an animal model of iron deficiency. Indeed, rats made iron deficient have lowered brain iron and impaired behaviours including learning. This can become irreversible especially in newborns, even after long-term iron supplementation. We have shown that in this condition it is the brain striatal dopaminergic-opiate system which becomes defective, resulting in alterations in circadian behaviours, cognitive impairment and neurochemical changes closely associated with them. More recently we have extended these studies and have established that cognitive impairment may be closely associated with neuroanatomical damage and zinc metabolism in the hippocampus due to iron deficiency, and which may result from abnormal cholinergic function. The hippocampus is the focus of many studies today, since this brain structure has high zinc concentration and is highly involved in many forms of cognitive deficits as a consequence of cholinergic deficiency and has achieved prominence because of dementia in ageing and Alzheimer's disease. Thus, it is now apparent that cognitive impairment may not be attributed to a single neurotransmitter, but rather, alterations and interactions of several systems in different brain regions. In animal models of iron deficiency it is apparent that dopaminergic interaction with the opiate system and cholinergic neurotransmission may be defective.

→ source (external link)

 

Though, I can't find any studies done on humans with regards to iron deficiency and neurotransmitter alterations.

[normalizing]

can someone help me out here. is iron absorbable from chocolate consumption? i checked labels, there is 80% iron per 100g chocolate. if its absorbable, this must be the most potent natural source of iron there is and people would not need take iron supplement.

neuronootropic, you should research this since you are the one most concerned about iron supplementation

[NeuroNootropic]

can someone help me out here. is iron absorbable from chocolate consumption? i checked labels, there is 80% iron per 100g chocolate. if its absorbable, this must be the most potent natural source of iron there is and people would not need take iron supplement.

neuronootropic, you should research this since you are the one most concerned about iron supplementation

 

Iron from chocolate comes from the cocoa and is moderately bioavailable according to this study done on rats: 

Fe deficiency is a public-health problem worldwide, and effective measures for preventing Fe deficiency are needed. The aim of the present study was to determine the bioavailability of Fe in cocoa using the Hb regeneration efficiency (HRE) method. Thirty-five F344/N male weanling rats were fed a low-Fe diet for 4 weeks to deplete body Fe stores. Then, four groups of seven animals each were repleted for 20 d using a modified AIN-93G diet fortified with ferrous sulphate, ferric citrate or two brands of cocoa powder to provide a total dietary Fe concentration of 20 mg/kg. As a negative control, seven rats were maintained on the low-Fe diet. The HRE were 0.733, 0.350, 0.357 and 0.336 for ferrous sulphate, ferric citrate and the two brands of cocoa powder, respectively. The relative biological values (RBV), defined as the ratio of the sample HRE to that of ferrous sulphate, were 0.478, 0.488 and 0.459 for ferric citrate and the two brands of cocoa powder, respectively. The Fe bioavailability of cocoa was significantly less than that of ferrous sulphate and was similar to that of ferric citrate. The difference in Fe bioavailability between the two brands of cocoa powder was negligible. When the negative control was used to correct the data, estimates of the RBV derived from Hb gain were similar to those derived from the HRE. These results suggest that cocoa is a significant source of moderately bioavailable Fe.

→ source (external link)

 

Keep in mind chocolate also contains caffeine and some people may not want caffeine.

[ta5]

 

can someone help me out here. is iron absorbable from chocolate consumption? i checked labels, there is 80% iron per 100g chocolate. if its absorbable, this must be the most potent natural source of iron there is and people would not need take iron supplement.

neuronootropic, you should research this since you are the one most concerned about iron supplementation

 

Iron from chocolate comes from the cocoa and is moderately bioavailable according to this study done on rats: 

 

My ferritin was around 20 ng/mL for over a year. I'm not sure what it was before that. I started taking 18mg/day of Ferrochel. It raised it only about 2 points over 6 months. Then I started eating 1 to 3 tbsp x 3/day of raw cacao powder. After a couple months of that, and still taking the Ferrochel, my ferritin is 48! I wasn't expecting an increase in ferritin from the cacao. That wasn't my purpose for taking the cacao. I was a little concerned the cacao might even inhibit iron absorption. That's such a big jump, and the Ferrochel by itself didn't seem to be doing that much, that I think it must be at least partly from the cacao. I'm quitting the Ferrochel now, and will keep eating the cacao, and will get another ferritin test at some point. 48 is a little higher than I want. If it keeps going up, I will have to make some changes.

[aribadabar]

48 is a little higher than I want.

 

Why 48 is too high ( I thought high is considered when over 80-100) and what is your desired range and why?

 

Thanks!

[ta5]

Technically, 48 is not high. It should be fine. I just don't want any more than adequate iron. Ideally, I want my ferritin at the low end of normal, so above 25, but otherwise I don't care for it to be much higher. I'm okay with 48. But, since it's gone up from 20, if that's a trend then I don't want it to continue higher.

 

It's pretty interesting. I'm looking forward to my next test.

[niner]

That's pretty interesting, ta5.  In this paper, ferrochel was compared to iron sulfate in pregnant women, and was found to be superior despite a lower dose.  However, a study in gastrectomy patients showed the opposite-- ferrous sulfate was better than ferrochel.  This makes me wonder if low stomach acid would harm the bioavailability of ferrochel.  From this review, it sounds like that should be a problem for ferric iron, but not ferrous.  'Tis a puzzle.   Let us know the results of your next test.

[aribadabar]

Re: Ferrochel efficacy- my wife has a low ferritin level due to vegan diet and normal menstruation. Her level was 25 - so I put her on Ferrochel (being advertised as superior absorption form of iron) at 20mg/d for about 2 months. Her level barely budged to 28.

 

She suspects that the Ferrochel supplement caused acne breakout she suffered from during the same  time - is this plausible/possible effect?

[Dorian Grey]

Nothing wrong with bumping iron levels up towards ferritin of 50 or so when they are low.  

 

From what I understand, the best way to do this is with dietary heme iron rather than with ferric, ferrous, or chelate supplements.  

 

Stomach acid facilitates absorption of non-heme iron, but non-heme iron is also very reactive and inflammatory, both in the gut and the body.  Low stomach acid equals poor absorption, but substantial inflammation in the colon of un-absorbed iron.  

 

Heme iron is less reactive and easily absorbed in the perfect form to be utilized by the body.  

 

Liver is the richest source of dietary heme iron, and while liver may not be all that palatable a food source, liver sausage / liverwurst or braunschweiger is rather tasty, and a couple of sandwiches a week should bump iron higher with non-reactive and highly absorbable heme iron.  

 

Liver is the ultimate iron supplement.  I couldn't stomach a liver steak, but a braunschweiger sandwich is a doable and highly effective therapy.  

Edited by synesthesia, 25 May 2015 - 08:12 AM.

[normalizing]

liver or cacao is the best iron supplement? there was a discussion much earlier in this thread of cacao having quite high bioavaiable iron.

[NeuroNootropic]

 

 

can someone help me out here. is iron absorbable from chocolate consumption? i checked labels, there is 80% iron per 100g chocolate. if its absorbable, this must be the most potent natural source of iron there is and people would not need take iron supplement.

neuronootropic, you should research this since you are the one most concerned about iron supplementation

 

Iron from chocolate comes from the cocoa and is moderately bioavailable according to this study done on rats: 

 

My ferritin was around 20 ng/mL for over a year. I'm not sure what it was before that. I started taking 18mg/day of Ferrochel. It raised it only about 2 points over 6 months. Then I started eating 1 to 3 tbsp x 3/day of raw cacao powder. After a couple months of that, and still taking the Ferrochel, my ferritin is 48! I wasn't expecting an increase in ferritin from the cacao. That wasn't my purpose for taking the cacao. I was a little concerned the cacao might even inhibit iron absorption. That's such a big jump, and the Ferrochel by itself didn't seem to be doing that much, that I think it must be at least partly from the cacao. I'm quitting the Ferrochel now, and will keep eating the cacao, and will get another ferritin test at some point. 48 is a little higher than I want. If it keeps going up, I will have to make some changes.

 

 

A serum ferritin level of less than 50 ng/ml can cause iron deficiency and also restless leg syndrome. Restless leg syndrome is the result of dopaminergic dysfunction which means ferritin plays an important role in maintaining optimal dopamine levels in the brain.

 

The most important secondary form of RLS is the association with iron deficiency (with or without anemia) which is present in up to a third of RLS patients (Ekbom 1960; O’Keeffe et al 1993), including those presenting in childhood pains (Kotagal and Silber 1999). Serum ferritin is accepted as the best screening test for iron deficiency, and in older hospital patients, the diagnosis of iron deficiency is almost certain in those with ferritin less than 20 ng/mL and is likely in those with levels less than 50 ng/mL. The severity of RLS symptoms correlates well with the serum ferritin level, even in patients who are not obviously iron deficient and who have normal hemoglobin and MCV levels (O’Keeffe et al 1994). A search for an underlying cause of iron deficiency is usually indicated and may lead to the detection of new cancers (Brocklehurst 2003; O’Keeffe 2005).

→ source (external link)

[vader]

Nothing wrong with bumping iron levels up towards ferritin of 50 or so when they are low.  

 

From what I understand, the best way to do this is with dietary heme iron rather than with ferric, ferrous, or chelate supplements.  

 

Stomach acid facilitates absorption of non-heme iron, but non-heme iron is also very reactive and inflammatory, both in the gut and the body.  Low stomach acid equals poor absorption, but substantial inflammation in the colon of un-absorbed iron.  

 

Heme iron is less reactive and easily absorbed in the perfect form to be utilized by the body.  

 

Liver is the richest source of dietary heme iron, and while liver may not be all that palatable a food source, liver sausage / liverwurst or braunschweiger is rather tasty, and a couple of sandwiches a week should bump iron higher with non-reactive and highly absorbable heme iron.  

 

Liver is the ultimate iron supplement.  I couldn't stomach a liver steak, but a braunschweiger sandwich is a doable and highly effective therapy.  

 

Do you have any proof of non-heme iron being inflammatory? Afaik heme iron been implicated in colon cancer. Asian populations eating mostly vegeterian diet, eat around 35mg of non-heme iron a day and have low cancer rates.
 

[Dorian Grey]

Iron in supplement form is always non-heme, and GI symptoms consistent with inflammation are far and away the number one complaint with supplemental iron.  Ask any woman who has taken prenatals loaded with iron for first hand reports.  

 

On the other hand, I ate half a pound of prime rib last night and felt absolutely fantastic afterwords.  The proof is in the pudding.  

 

I get so much iron from my diet I must donate blood to keep accumulations from occurring, heme iron being well documented as substantially more bio-available.  

 

Bottom line...  If you want to up your iron, and you don't like nausea, vomiting, constipation and GI discomfort, heme iron is the way to go!  

[FunkOdyssey]

Lactoferrin is superior to iron supplementation for most purposes, including those mentioned in this thread.  It improves iron status, hemoglobin, etc better than iron supplements and with fewer gastrointestinal side effects.  Not only is lactoferrin more effective, it is also anti-inflammatory while iron is pro-inflammatory, as measured by serum IL-6:

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm...pubmed/24590680

https://www.ncbi.nlm...pubmed/26037728

https://www.ncbi.nlm...pubmed/16936810

[FunkOdyssey]

Here's a recent study where 81% of patients in a psychiatry practice were found to be iron deficient and of those, 58% saw remission or response of psychiatric symptoms (including anhedonia) with iron supplementation: https://www.ncbi.nlm...pubmed/27644916

 

 

[ta5]

Thanks for the studies FunkOdyssey.

 

I think I will try switching to Lactoferrin. I've been taking a low dose of Ferrochel. I wonder how much Lactoferrin one would have to take to have the same effect as 6mg of Iron from Ferrochel?

 

The studies FunkOdyssey listed used:

 

"150 mg of dried ferrous sulphate capsules or lactoferrin 250 mg capsules once daily"

"100 mg of bLf twice a day; in Arm B, 139 women received 520 mg of ferrous sulphate once a day"

"ferrous sulfate (520 mg once a day) or 30% iron-saturated bovine lactoferrin (bLf) (100 mg twice a day)"

 

As far as the Ferrous Sulfate doses they used: according to one product I looked at, it says 205mg Dried Ferrous Sulfate = 325mg Liquid Ferrous Sulfate = 65 mg elemental Iron. So, the studies used 47mg, 104mg, and 104mg of Iron from dried or (I assume) Liquid Ferrous Sulfate. Gosh those are high doses.

 

But, is there any Lactoferrin you can buy that's standardized for Iron? LEF sells an Iron depleted apolactoferrin, of course I wouldn't want that one. One quote I found says, "native lactoferrin has an iron saturation rate of between 10 and 30%." I'd like to take something that I knew what I was taking and I could depend on it being consistent.

[FunkOdyssey]

Thanks for the studies FunkOdyssey.

 

I think I will try switching to Lactoferrin. I've been taking a low dose of Ferrochel. I wonder how much Lactoferrin one would have to take to have the same effect as 6mg of Iron from Ferrochel?

 

The studies FunkOdyssey listed used:

 

"150 mg of dried ferrous sulphate capsules or lactoferrin 250 mg capsules once daily"

"100 mg of bLf twice a day; in Arm B, 139 women received 520 mg of ferrous sulphate once a day"

"ferrous sulfate (520 mg once a day) or 30% iron-saturated bovine lactoferrin (bLf) (100 mg twice a day)"

 

As far as the Ferrous Sulfate doses they used: according to one product I looked at, it says 205mg Dried Ferrous Sulfate = 325mg Liquid Ferrous Sulfate = 65 mg elemental Iron. So, the studies used 47mg, 104mg, and 104mg of Iron from dried or (I assume) Liquid Ferrous Sulfate. Gosh those are high doses.

 

But, is there any Lactoferrin you can buy that's standardized for Iron? LEF sells an Iron depleted apolactoferrin, of course I wouldn't want that one. One quote I found says, "native lactoferrin has an iron saturation rate of between 10 and 30%." I'd like to take something that I knew what I was taking and I could depend on it being consistent.

 

The study I cited that used 250 mg capsules was actually Jarrow's lactoferrin:

 

Group 1 (Lactoferrin group): included 100 pregnant women who received lactoferrin 250 mg capsules (Jarrow Formulas, Egypt) once daily for eight consecutive weeks.

 

Unfortunately, I don't think there is any product that tests for iron saturation but at least that is one product we know is clinically effective.  Also, there are some reviewers on amazon who claim to have seen normalization of low ferritin levels with Jarrow's lactoferrin.

Edited by FunkOdyssey, 06 December 2016 - 02:10 AM.

[ta5]

That's cool, thanks. I don't see anything on Jarrow's label about the Iron content, but hopefully it's the same.