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.

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 quesEon of balance where the
uptake of iron needs to match the losses.
• Natural losses include for instance loss of blood
through menstruaEon 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.

4. Natural dose
• 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 reacEve 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.

5. Iron absorpEon
• 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.

6. Uptake of non-heme iron
• 30 days of supplementaEon with 100 mg Fe++ non-
heme iron at a bio-availablity of 2 % theoreEcally
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
terminaEon of the therapy of around 30 %.

7. Uptake of Heme-iron
• SupplementaEon 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 raEo 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. 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, an essenEal trace
element vital for many biological funcEons and that
has a crucial role in the enzyme system in the body.
• Heme-Iron will not affect the uptake of Zinc.

9. 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 situaEon should be
cured as quickly as possible.

10. Syntethic supplements with high doses
• 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.

11. www.opEfer.internaEonal www.hemeiron.com www.meditec.se YouTube