Iron intake...

Iron is essential for hemoglobin formation and for the effective circulation of oxygen throughout the body. Without adequate levels of iron in the blood, one will be left feeling lethargic and tired. Women are more likely to suffer from anemia and low blood-iron because menstruation, pregnancy and breastfeeding tax their iron stores. Vegetarians are at higher risk of developing iron deficiency and so are those who eat little red meat.

However, many people are eating less meat due to the high fat content and fear of mad cow disease. In the case of iron, even dietary intake often is insufficient to supply the body's daily requirements. Iron is not easily absorbed, and there is even less available for absorption if digestion and food breakdown is reduced through stress, poor enzyme production or age. Older people often require a supplement, as their bodies less efficiently absorb nutrients. This makes the need for a high quality iron supplement clear.

Iron absorption...

Solid iron tablets first need to be broken down by the body before their iron becomes available for absorption. Tablets are held together with binders and coated with substances to help them keep their shape. Due to the binders, fillers and coating, the body cannot easily get to the nutrients in a tablet. As well, tablets usually use forms of iron that are not well absorbed by the body. Liquid supplements, on the other hand, do not need to be broken down by the body before the active ingredients can be released and absorbed. They are right there for the body to pick out and absorb through the gastric mucous lining, since liquid supplements provide the body with a much larger surface area to volume ratio for easy absorption.

Floradix Iron Liquid...

The absorption rate of Floradix (liquid iron gluconate) is twenty-five per cent compared solid iron tablets that have an absorption rate of two to ten per cent. Floradix provides maximum absorption by using the most highly absorbable form of iron, iron gluconate. Floradix also contains B vitamins and vitamin C to enhance absorption, herbal extracts to increase digestion, and fruit juices to ensure proper stomach acidity. A twenty milligram dose of Floradix satisfies the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of fifteen milligrams of iron for women of child-bearing age.

Facts:

Calcium and Iron interfere with the absorption of the other...

The reason is that they are competing for the same absorption sites in the small intestine.  This can be confusing, since both are present in spinach, and other vegetables; however, it must be remembered that they are not present in high amounts in food, so there are probably enough absorption sites to absorb both.

In a supplement however, the doses are high and so the maximum absorption sites are needed by each nutrient. These two minerals can be taken 2 hours apart from each other. If it is calcium carbonate, it needs to be taken with food to increase its absorption.

However, our calcium tonic does not require that, because it already has good absorption rates. Calcium actually interferes with absorption of many nutrients so it is best taken alone away from other supplements. Best taken at bedtime, because it helps induce sleep.

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