IRON Supplement Reliance

Do you suffer persistent low iron, low immunity and feel you are continually on iron supplements?

They may not be helping you, as much as we would like.

When we take an iron supplement, about 10% is absorbed in the duodenum at a rate that is controlled by hepcidin, the rest of the iron reaches the colon.

When iron interacts with the gastrointestinal microbiome in the colon a few things happen:

• Iron stores may increase

• Immune function improves (hooray)

BUT

• The numbers of good bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus (most species) and Firmicutes decrease.

• Numbers of pathogenic species such as E.coli and Enterobacteriaceae increase as they feed off iron.

• Oxidative stress impacts the colon epithelium.

IMAGE 1. This image is a comparison of microbiota between iron supplementation and anaemia. It demonstrates the negative impacts of both circumstances on the microbiome.

(Abbas et al., 2022)

Long term iron supplementation has the potential to increase inflammation and induce dysbiosis increasing our likelihood of gastroenteritis and eventually decreasing our immune system again.

Ideally, we want to treat the underlying cause of your iron deficiency, but in the interim your iron levels will need to be nurtured to support over 300 enzymatic reactions within your body. The correct iron supplement can be effective when used the right way, short term.

My aim is to provide your body with as much support as possible, together we would negate the impact of iron on your gut microbiome by ensuring optimal absorption in the duodenum and protective strains are within your GIT.

Some actions we may implement together include:

• Taking your iron supplement alongside galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) or fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) which can improve your iron absorption by up to 50%.

• Using beneficial, resilient, and protective bacterial strains like Lactobacillus plantarum, which not only improves the uptake of iron but reduces your risk of contracting entero-infections from pathogens like E.Coli.

• Timing your supplement around your natural hepcidin levels.

• Ensuring you are taking the most bioavailable source of iron.

• Including nutrients/foods that aid the absorption of iron, like vitamin C.

• Avoiding nutrients/foods that block absorption pathways for a timeframe around supplement consumption, such as black tea, coffee, milk.

  
  

Are you reliant of iron supplements?

IMAGE CITATION:

Abbas M, Hayirli Z, Drakesmith H, Andrews SC and Lewis MC. (2022). Effects of iron deficiency and iron supplementation at the host-microbiota interface: Could a piglet model unravel complexities of the underlying mechanisms? Front. Nutr. 9:927754. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.927754.