Warning: 99% of Iron Supplements are not the Iron found in food.

Why are we warned against taking this supplement when it’s a naturally occurring mineral found in almost every food?

Iron a vital mineral found in well, basically everything. You would be hard-pressed to find a fruit, vegetable, bean, nut or grain that does not contain Iron.

What is Iron and why do we need it?

“Iron is a mineral needed by our bodies. Iron is a part of all cells and does many things in our bodies. For example, Iron (as part of the protein hemoglobin) carries oxygen from our lungs throughout our bodies. Having too little hemoglobin is called anemia. Iron also helps our muscles store and use oxygen.

Iron is a part of many enzymes and is used in many cell functions. Enzymes help our bodies digest foods and also help with many other important reactions that occur within our bodies. When our bodies don't have enough Iron, many parts of our bodies are affected.” (http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/Iron.html) 1

Why then, if Iron is found in basically all foods, is it often recommended we avoid supplements that contain Iron?

This advice may seem odd, until you realize that what you are advised to avoid is not the same Iron that is found in food, but instead it is a synthetic chemical sourced Iron supplement.

What is often recommended as Iron supplementation is actually:

Ferrous Sulfate: It is the rock known as Melanerite. It is used as a fertilizer, wood preservative, weed killer, pesticide

Ferric pyrophosphate: It is an Iron rock processed with pyophosphoric acid. It is used in fireproofing and in pigments

(Source: http://media.wix.com/ugd/2e6749_19db8e1d98e7469e84b4e0fdb959e022.pdf , which is sourced out of the Merck Index, an encyclopedia of drugs, chemicals and biologicals 1996) 2

There are several other chemical synthetic forms not listed above, as the pharmaceutical industry is constantly making new analogues.

Adverse reactions by taking synthetic Iron supplements (from rxlist.com) include:

…“stomach upset and pain, constipation or diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Liquid Iron supplements may blacken teeth. High doses of Iron are UNSAFE, especially for children. Iron poisoning can cause many serious problems including stomach and intestinal distress, liver failure, dangerously low blood pressure, and death. If you suspect an adult or child has taken more than the recommended amount of Iron, call your healthcare professional or the nearest poison control center immediately.” (http://www.rxlist.com/Iron-page2/supplements.htm#SafetyConcerns) 3

It is also widely accepted that Iron has also been shown to interfere with the absorption of synthetic Vitamin E. (This is a big reason why many supplement companies intentionally leave Iron ingredients out of their Multi-formulations. Sadly, with this knowledge, many companies still have them together in their formulations)

Do those synthetic forms of Iron also occur in Nature?

The answer simply is “No”. When you analyze the compositions of fruits/ vegetables, you will more than often find both Vitamin E and Iron together. Look at a potato for example. They are working together in perfect union.

The truth of the matter is chemicals interact with chemicals like in a science experiment. Your body was not designed to become chemistry experiments. So the next time you hear a doctor, nutritionist, dietitian or anyone state that you are to “avoid Iron”, ask them what are you supposed to eat considering essentially all of our natural foods contain Iron.

In conclusion, I agree that you should avoid synthetic Iron, along with every other isolated and/or synthetic supplement as they are not natural, nor do your bodies treat them as such. With Grown By Nature Iron, you receive the same food-form Iron that is found in an organically grown potato and basically every other God-given food under the sun!

About me: My name is Jason Derkevics, owner of Grown By Nature www.grownbynature.com

I am an advocate for Wholefood nutrition as I have reviewed enough scientific literature to understand there is a true difference in supplemental offerings. You either have the choice of pharmaceutical grade chemical supplements with adverse reactions, and little to no benefit; or, you can choose wholefood supplements that have been proven time and again that they are in fact better absorbed, retained and utilized. Thank you for reading my blog. Please direct any questions to my personal email address: grownbynature@yahoo.com God bless!

1http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/Iron.html

2http://media.wix.com/ugd/2e6749_19db8e1d98e7469e84b4e0fdb959e022.pdf

3http://www.rxlist.com/Iron-page2/supplements.htm#SafetyConcerns

FOOD SOURCE IRON FOUND HERE

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