Why Low-dose is more efficient than High-dose when it comes to iron.A Heme-Iron tablet with a dose of 18 mg will yield up to 4 mgs for bodily needs, whereas a non-heme tablet of 100 mg will yield 2 mg. The rest is reactive and remains in the gut. The body will absorb no more than it needs of Heme-Iron and the rest is completely inert – no stomach problems.

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

2. Restoring iron counts
• 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. 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.
• A heme iron tablet with a dose of 18 mg will yield up to 4
mgs for bodily needs, whereas a non-heme tablet of 100 mg
will yield 2 mg. The rest is reactive and remains in the gut.
• The body will absorb no more than it needs of heme iron
and the rest is completely inert – no stomach problems.

4. 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, 20 -40 %
and will not produce side-effects like the syntethic
supplements. It is also not affected by other simultaneously
ingested food or drink.

5. 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 %.

6. 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++.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. The OptiFer® Series is the nr. 1 Heme-Iron
formula available internationally
-The OptiFer® series is safe. No reported cases of
serious side-effects or poisonings after long-time
massive use of heme iron in Scandinavia.