Iron

[Johnny Auto Parts]

I just bought Centrum Performance Multivatimins....once again I have chosen a multi with iron in it, due to laziness and GNC's super high prices on decent multis....am i in long term danger, since iron does not leave the system except via blood loss? I just read an article regarding how bad excess iron was for men....and now i am wicked nervous. Should I stop taking these multi's and opt for an iron free solution...or should i just wait until i finish these pills (75) and then grab the right ones? If anyone has a link to a decent multi w/o iron, hook me up......thanks

 

[riskybizz007]

Bro if you are worried you can take 1 pill of centrum in the morning and 1 pill of another multi at night. It's not a problem. I use AST's multi bought from DPSnutrition, it has iron in it and i take it twice a day. But that's the only tablet multi i would ever use, i think the capsules are absorbed much better. I think someone posted once that Centrum's Multi is only 30% absorbed. There's other multi's out there that are cheap, just gotta look around. But i do know the doseage of Centrum's Multi is very low. Just compare it to AST's and you'll see what i mean.

 

[anthrax]

Any reputable sup. company must have a w/o iron version of its multi
Twinlab has good multis w/o iron

BTW fiber inhibits a bit iron assimilation

 

[chillin408]

I have been taking an average of over 2 times the RDA for about 2 years now and have not had any problems because of it.

According to many vitamin packages, Overdose of iron containg products is a leading cause of death in children under six. Now, I don't know if this means that mulitvitamins have been responsible for such a thing, if so, I would like to see some references. Maybe there are other iron containing products with a lot more iron than mulitvitamins. The FDA is especially hard on dietary supplements, so if there were even the littlest of evidence, or spectulation, they probably could totally ban iron. In fact I bet they have already put some restrictions on the iron containing products, the warning is one example of such restrictions. Anyway, we are not children under six, so that warning does not apply to us.

If there are any references to iron toxicity in adults due to doses near what is in mulitvitamins--post them. I have a feeling though that the iron controversy has something political behind it(like about everything). For example, my mom reads some magazine, I think readers digest. There was an issue disscussing different vitamins and minerals, and iron was brought up, and the end of the iron section of the article section stated do not take an iron supplement without your doctors permission(something like that). I was laughing because we are commonly refered to as "the home of the brave" and we are scared to take iron supplements. By the way, there were no real references either in that article(if my memory serves correct). I'm not saying they don't exist, but I've been motivated enough to search for them. Of iron related problems, one comes to mind immediatly, and that is of an olympic swimmer who was deficient in iron.

Finally, Keep in mind that the information in this post is for entertainment purposes only. Information in this post is NOT intended to take seriously and information in this post may be inaccurate.

 

[Johnny Auto Parts]

This is the section on iron i received through email from the man behind musclegaintips.com


"I always take a multi-vitamin without iron, because grown men do not need additional iron. We get enough from our food. Men and postmenopausal women should never take iron supplements unless they have iron-deficiency anemia, which is only diagnosed by blood tests. The body has no way to eliminate excess iron except through blood loss. Women who menstruate are protected from iron overload, obviously. Iron is also an oxidizing agent that can cause damage to the heart and arteries, and is a major risk factor in arteriosclerosis."

 

[Johnny Auto Parts]

riskybizz i checked out the AST multi at DPS and it looks excellent (including the low price for 100 count) except the 36mg of iron....it is definitely better than Centrum Performance....but what do you mean about percentage absorbed?

 

[riskybizz007]

Johnny, what i meant was the amount absorbed is the amount your body will actually use. I know that Centrum vitamins are full of tar and your body doesn't break down all that tar and get all of the vitamin out for use. That's why I take capsules sometimes. So 30% is what your body will use, and the dose on Centrum sucks horribly, and to get 30% of that... is worse.

Hey guys... after reading all that iron stuff i remembered when i used to take Beef Liver supplement. It was full of aminos, B vitamins, protein, and Iron. My gums would bleed like crazy when i took that, maybe it was a result of the excess iron.

 

[fogg88]

A different viewpoint on the toxicity of iron can be found in Michael Colgan's book, Optimum Sports Nutrition. (I know, a lot of times he seems to be a TwinLab shill.) By no means am I an expert on physiology, so the following is just to give you some food for thought.

In the book, he does acknowledge that iron supplementation at higher doses can be toxic, but that for athletes, it may be necessary to get some supplemental form of it. Contrary to a previous quote in this thread, Colgan states that some iron is actually excreted through perspiration. He also states: "Then there is iron loss by hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells). Heavy exercise breaks blood cells, the blood leaks and is then excreted from the body."

If you have the book or are around a book store, check it out if you want to read more. It's in the chapter on red blood, under a section titled "how much iron?".

 

[chillin408]

What are symptoms of Iron toxicity?

 

[fogg88]

Chillin408, This is copied from my college nutrition textbook. Take it for what it's worth.

"Some of the signs and symptoms of iron overload are similar to those of iron deficiency: fatigue, headache, irritability, lowered work performance, and anemia."

"Iron overload is most often diagnosed when tissue damage occurs, especially in iron-storing organs such as the liver. Infections are likely to develop because bacteria thrive on iron-rich blood. Other common symptoms include enlarged liver, skin pigmentation, lethargy, joint diseases, loss of body hair, amenorrhea, and impotence. These effects are more severe in people who drink large quantities of alcohol because alcohol damages the intestine, further impairing its defenses against absorbing excess iron."