When is the best time to take iron supplements

Iron is a trace element that is supplemented through the food we eat on a daily basis. If you are picky about your food, it will affect the intake of these trace elements and you will need to supplement with iron tablets or other medicines. Because of the cyclical nature of physiological activities, intake at different time points has different effects on the body. When is the best time to take iron? The following article will give us an answer.

1. The best time to take iron supplements

It is best not to take iron supplements on an empty stomach, so it is best to take iron supplements between meals to reduce irritation to the stomach and intestines. However, it is possible to be on an empty stomach between meals, so it is best to take the medicine half an hour after a meal. At this time, you generally will not have a strong feeling of fullness, and the food in the stomach has not been completely digested. This can ensure that the gastric mucosa is not irritated and is conducive to absorption.

2. Precautions for oral iron supplements

Iron is a trace element and should be supplemented in trace amounts according to the principle. It should be started with a small dose. It is not advisable to supplement with iron supplements that have too high an iron content. This type of nutritional supplement may seem to have a high content, but in fact the body's absorption is limited. Excessive supplementation will cause absorption obstacles, resulting in half the result with twice the effort, and may even cause an absorption burden, which will not be worth the effort.

3. How to take iron supplements orally

When taking iron supplements orally, you should place the medicine on the surface of the tongue and drink it directly down with water. Do not chew the medicine because the iron element will react and easily cause black teeth, affecting the appearance. I don’t know if it’s the iron supplement, but many liquid iron supplements are like this, which can easily lead to black teeth.

4. How long should I take iron supplements?

There are two types of iron in the human body, one is mobile iron and the other is storage iron. Generally, the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia proves that the storage iron is insufficient. If you want to supplement iron, you must consider both mobile iron and storage iron. Taking iron supplements, such as Tiezhiyuan tablets, will generally significantly increase hemoglobin in one month and can cure anemia. However, in order to consolidate the effect and prevent anemia from recurring, it is best to take supplements for 2-3 months, which will achieve the best effect.

5. People who are not suitable for iron supplements

Patients with alcohol poisoning, hepatitis, acute infectious enteritis, and pancreatitis should be cautious when taking iron supplements during attacks; people with gastric and duodenal ulcers, ulcerative colitis, siderophore deposition disease and those without iron deficiency, those with severe liver and kidney damage, and those who are allergic to iron should not take iron supplements.