Platinum Naturals Easy Iron - 72 Softgels

EasyIron is a revolutionary product designed to help build healthy blood cells and reduce the risk of certain birth defects in pregnant women. It contains Ferrochel (a better absorbing form of iron), methylcobalamin (a better utilized form of B12), and folic acid, and is suspended in cold-pressed olive oil for improved absorption and stability. Simply put, EasyIron is easy to take, easy to swallow, easy to absorb, and most importantly, it helps to make healthy blood cells.

How Do I Know If I'm Iron Deficient?
Some of the first symptoms of iron deficiency are fatigue, irritability, and general tiredness. Iron deficiency may also have a detrimental affect on learning ability, endurance, and general well-being. It is difficult to test for iron deficiency because it is stored in different organs and is released into the blood stream as required. Thus, a blood test for iron levels cannot detect loss of iron stores until there is significant iron depletion from the various organs. When this occurs, your general well-being may be compromised.

Another clue to iron deficiency is feeling cold when others are not. A study conducted on iron-deficient women showed that iron supplementation improved their ability to tolerate cold temperatures.

The groups that are at a higher risk of being iron deficient are pre-menopausal women, pregnant and nursing women, growing children, seniors over 65 years of age, vegetarians, athletes and patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

Too Much Iron?
Your body has the ability to adjust how much iron is absorbed based on your body's needs. Thus, a child and a pregnant woman will absorb iron at a higher rate than an average, healthy adult. According to Shari Lieberman Ph.D., The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book, 75 mg of daily intake of iron is not likely to be toxic in healthy adults. Some studies have found that too much iron may increase the risk of heart disease. Equally, there are studies that show no increased risk. Each capsule of EasyIron contains 18 mg of iron, well within safe levels but enough to be effective. Some health experts recommend those with high iron intake, i.e., frequent red meat and organ meat eaters, take antioxidant supplements.

What is Ferrochel?
Ferrochel is a trade name given to ferrous bisglycinate, an amino acid chelated form of iron. The absorption of Ferrochel is significantly greater than other forms of iron. For example, 15 mg of Ferrochel per day was shown to be more effective in preventing iron depletion in pregnant women than 40 mg of ferrous sulfate. Another benefit of Ferrochel is that it tends to be less constipating and irritating than other forms of iron.

Iron Alone May Be Insufficient
Your body requires iron, folic acid, and B12 to make healthy blood cells. Yet most popular brands of iron do not contain B12 and folic acid, even though vitamin B12 - a general label for a group of essential biological compounds known as cobalamins - is structurally related to hemoglobin in the blood and is essential to treating anemia.

Iron, Folic Acid, and B12 During Pregnancy
Daily doses of 0.8 mg of folic acid and 8 mcg of B12 are also recommended during pregnancy. Folic acid deficiency during pregnancy is associated with low birth weight and an increased incidence of neural tube defects in infants. In one study, women who were at high risk of giving birth to babies with neural tube defects lowered their risk by 72% by taking folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy.

Research found that children born to women who had supplemented with iron and folic acid during pregnancy had three times the lower risk of developing leukemia than children born to mothers who had not supplemented.

Iron and Teenage Girls
Teenage girls can improve their memory, and test scores with iron supplementation, this according to a study conducted at Pennsylvania State University They found that anaemic girls scored the lowest test results and took the longest time to complete the test Iron deficient but non- anaemic girls also tested poorly Iron supplementation improve their results for both groups, anaemic group and iron deficient group.