Iron Deficiency and IBD

Taking your iron supplement with Vitamin C on an empty stomach every other day can increase absorption of iron and reduce gastrointestinal symptoms.

You’ve gone to your Doctor, had blood work, and have been told you have low iron (ferritin) stores. After discussing options for treatment, you begin supplementing iron. Feeling better, less fatigued, you then go to the washroom and have one of the hardest poops of your life.

What happened?

The iron supplement you took caused some unwarranted side effects. Daily iron supplementation effectively reduces iron deficiency at the cost of increased gastrointestinal symptoms. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27087396/)

How can you increase your iron levels without feeling stomach pain or constipated?

Not all iron supplements are made equal. If you look at the dosing of your iron product, you’ll see different iron sources such as iron bisglycinate or ferrous fumurate. Some brands may be better suited for you and your stomach then others

Try products containing iron bisglycinate. Iron bisglycinate is known to have fewer gastrointestinal side effects. This one is good:

Taking your iron supplement with food also will reduce side effects, it will also reduce the amount of iron you will absorb by as much as half. How can we maximize iron absorption while also feeling good?

Try alternate day dosing.

According to this study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31413088/) , iron absorption from supplements is greater with alternate day than with consecutive day dosing with iron-deficient anemic women. Oral iron supplementation increases the hormone hepcidin for 24 hours which decreases the absorption of iron thus suggesting taking iron every other day would be of benefit.

By taking iron every other day, we would be creating less instances and chances of gastrointestinal symptoms.

To maximize absorption, try taking iron pills on an empty stomach. Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron. Take a vitamin C supplement along with your iron tablet. This iron supplement also has Vitamin C with a high dose of iron:

Iron Supplement Dosing Protocol:

Talk to your doctor about supplementing iron. Discuss what dose of iron is best for your situation. Ideally you would get bloodwork before starting iron and sometime during your treatment to assess your needs.

Take your iron tablet with Vitamin C on an empty stomach every other day.