Ortho Iron
Superior Iron Supplementation
HIGHLIGHTS
Provides nutrients that prevent and treat iron deficiency anemia
Contains a highly absorbable form of iron
Includes nutrients and vitamins that aid in the body’s usage of iron
Non-constipating formula that is easier on the stomach than other iron formulas
DETAILS
Iron deficiency anemia, is the most common nutritional disorder in the world with approximately 25% of the world's population being iron-deficient. However, even in the absence of outright anemia, low iron levels may have significant detrimental effects on human health, including compromised cognitive function, overall weakness and fatigue, and a weakening of the immune system.
The best dietary sources of iron are spinach, chard, thyme and turmeric. However, not all forms of dietary or supplementary iron are equally beneficial. One form, namely ferric pyrophosphate, used in Ortho Iron, has been shown in animal studies to be more bioavailable than other more common forms of iron such as ferrous sulphate and sodium ferrous citrate. It is also more stable and is less prone to oxidation
Ortho Iron goes a step further in that it incorporates SunActive®, which contains ferric pyrophosphate that has been processed to reduce particle size for even higher absorption, and is bound to a food grade emulsifier to prevent clustering. These two factors give it a bioavailability equal to that of pharmaceutical-grade iron prescriptions. SunActive® iron has 84-94% absorbability, is much easier on the stomach than other forms of iron and is non-constipating.
Ortho Iron also contains other important nutrients which have been shown to improve blood iron and hemoglobin levels as well. These include lactoferrin ‒ an iron carrying protein ‒ and vitamin C, a well-known antioxidant that also improves iron absorption. Other nutrients such as vitamin B12, folate, vitamin B6 and copper can also ensure that other anemias related to these nutrients do not go untreated.
IRON FOR ENERGY
Hemoglobin is a protein component of red blood cells that is primarily responsible for the transport of oxygen from the lungs to the cells of the body, and iron is a central component of hemoglobin. When the body oxidizes food energy, electrons are transported across electron-carrier proteins called cytochromes. These electrons are combined with oxygen to produce water by the enzyme cytochrome oxidase. Both cytochromes and cytochrome oxidase are heavily dependent on iron for their synthesis and function. This makes iron fundamental to the electron transport reactions that produce energy in the mitochondria. Iron is also involved in the production of myoglobin, L-carnitine and aconitase, all of which also perform important functions with regard to energy production in the body.
NERVE HEALTH & IMMUNITY
In addition to its fundamental roles in energy production, iron is involved in DNA synthesis and may also play roles in normal brain development and immune function. Furthermore, iron is involved in the synthesis of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and even collagen.The most well-known condition of iron deficiency is of course anemia, which is associated with feelings of weakness and fatigue. Other conditions associated with iron deficiency include Plummer-Vinson syndrome, a condition characterized by difficulty in swallowing solid food due to the presence of a thin, web-like membrane growing across the upper passageway of the esophagus. Those with Plummer-Vinson syndrome are at an increased risk of cancer of the esophagus and stomach, and iron supplementation has been shown to prevent this syndrome.
WHO IS AT RISK?
Pregnant and menstruating women are often at risk of iron deficiency (and consequently anemia), as are infants, adolescents, endurance athletes, and those under any other condition of growth and/or fatigue generating an increased cellular demand for oxygen. The loss of iron ‒ and thus the need for supplementation ‒ also occurs during conditions of blood loss such as uterine bleeding in post-menopausal women on hormone replacement therapy, gastrointestinal bleeding, and bleeding from trauma or surgery. Some iron loss can also occur through mucosal excretions and skin sloughing.
IRON METABOLISM
The proper metabolism of iron is exceptionally important and highly biologically regulated due to the fact that the body has no way of excreting excess amounts of it. Iron absorption can vary considerably, ranging from 10-35% for someone with sufficient iron stores, to as high as 95% for those with iron deficiencies. Upon ingestion, iron shifts between its two oxidative states ‒ ferrous (II) and ferric (III). This shift back and forth via single electron-transfer reactions, while making iron essential in the electron transport chain, can also generate reactive oxygen species hydroxyl radicals. It is in the form of ferric (III) however, that iron is bound to transferrin, a liver-generated protein that is primarily responsible for distributing iron throughout the bloodstream. It eventually enters the cell mitochondria where it is combined with protoporphyrin to form heme for the purpose of hemoglobin synthesis. Between 70-90% of this tranferrin-bound iron is designated for hemoglobin synthesis, with the majority of the remainder used for the electron transfer chain.
Excess iron is stored in the body as ferritin, a unique protein whose main function is the storage of iron and is located mainly in the liver but also in the spleen, bone marrow, intestines and other organs. This iron can be released from ferritin and re-transported into the plasma by transferrin if the demand for hemoglobin is warranted. The body has a very limited capacity to excrete excess iron, with only tiny amounts being excreted through the kidneys, liver, bile ducts and gall bladder. So although iron deficiency is detrimental it is also very important not to take excessive amounts of iron!!
ADOLESCENT GIRLS
It has been reported that up to one-quarter of adolescent schoolgirls in North America are non-anemia iron-deficient. In one double-blind, placebo-controlled study, female adolescent subjects received either 650 milligrams of iron twice daily or a placebo for eight weeks in order to examine its effects on cognitive function. The subjects in the study group were reported to perform significantly better than those in the placebo group on learning and memory tests.
INFANTILE BREATH HOLDING
Expiratory apnea or Breath Holding Spells (BHS) is a condition affecting infants that is characterized by spells of involuntary breath-holding, usually during a stressful event that elicits crying on the part of the child. In one study, the frequency of (BHS) spells diminished significantly with iron supplementation. Children with this disorder who were given 5 mg of iron per kg of bodyweight each day for 16 weeks experienced 88% complete or partial improvement ‒ compared with 6% in the placebo group.
IRON DEFICIENCY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY
While there are no concise figures on iron deficiency, it is now generally accepted that it is more widespread than initially believed. One study revealed that functional iron deficiency existed in 35% of a group of 51 adult patients at the general intensive care unit of a teaching hospital over a six-week period. This was in spite of the fact that in this study, patients with recent massive hemorrhage or exchange transfusion, those who were pregnant or lactating, those older than 80 years, those with hematological malignant disorders and those with bone marrow depression were excluded. Furthermore, patients with functional iron deficiencies had to endure hospital stays that were more than twice as long as those without functional iron deficiencies.
References
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