I certainly pride myself on possessing an impressive level of endurance for an argument, as most of you surely know 😊 But the record for this is held by all practitioners of nutritional medicine. Because we’ve actually been debating the same 3 facets of what makes a good iron form since the late 1800s!🤯 Inorganic vs organic, soluble vs insoluble and ferrous vs ferric state! And for those playing along at home, I heard that & I have to tell you your ideas about iron have passed their ‘best before’!
Even the idea that these 3 aspects are central to the success of any oral iron supplement.
Wrong.
You’re welcome 🙂
Because this ignores all that we’ve learned (and had to unlearn) of late about iron digestion, absorption& regulation. And I would know! Eight years ago I released an episode, the ‘definitive’ download called, ‘So You Think You Know The Best Iron Supplement’. Recently, I re-listened to it like this 🙉 thinking it too might be past its use-by. But you know what? It isn’t. I was right about the lack of difference in overall efficacy between bisglycinate, citrate, gluconate, [insert any non-haem chelate or salt] & even sulphate forms! But that was then and this is POW! 💥
That’s the sound that’s made as yet another new supplement hits the market & throws us all into the ropes of the boxing ring 🥊
Leaving us scrambling to keep up, catch up & keep our heads off the canvas with all the new must knows!
Which now includes knowing all the important stuff about every new iron option…and there are a lot! From patches to (nano)particles, the resurgence of rewilded ‘herbal’ iron tonics, pea and other plant ferritins and of course organ meats and so SO much more. These new preparations are wildly different. Not only as a reflection of different product preferences, as an extension of our principles and prescribing philosophy but the very way they behave in our digestive tracts and beyond is not the same. And accordingly, each form arguably a particular ‘fit’ for a certain clinical context. So, are you absolutely clear about which form of iron when? Best you go check your ‘best befores’ on your beliefs about iron supplements….I’ll wait 😉
Image by Melpo Tsiliaki via Unsplash
Iron – Primal Nutrient to Primetime Prescription
One of our most popular past episodes explored the relative efficacy of the many iron supplements on the market. Since then, the landscape has changed dramatically. New and novel forms have emerged — including haem iron products, phytoferritins, nanoparticles, dermal patches, and more — each claiming to solve long-standing issues with iron interventions. In this episode, we begin by retracing the evolution of iron as one of nutritional medicine’s most commonly prescribed interventions. From there, we examine the renewed interest in food as medicine and food-like forms: molasses and grape syrup, offal, iron-rich herbal tonics, and naturally iron-containing mineral waters.
To do this properly, we revisit some of our long-held assumptions about what makes a “good” iron form and hold them up against emerging evidence that is reshaping our understanding of digestion, absorption, regulation etc. It’s time to rethink iron — and update old ideas in light of new science.
You can purchase Iron: Primal Nutrient to Primetime Prescription here. If you are an Update in Under 30 Subscriber, you will this episode waiting for you in your online account. You can become an Update in Under 30 Subscriber to access this episode and the entire library of Update in Under 30 audios and resources here.