Too much Iron?

[KatimaDanny]

Hey, I have been have a serving of Vega a day. (which is 2 scoops). Per 1 servings, apparently there is 18.0 mg or 130% of Iron.

 

I have been doing research, and apparently men should only have 8 mg a day... Now, I have of Vega a day, and then I have 2 cups of beans and grains day and then there is the nuts, seeds, dried seaweed (such as dulse) ect.

 

I am confuse...Am I having too much Iron? Apparently it is really bad to have too much. Does anyone know how much Iron men need a day?

[Vegan Joe]

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm

 

Heme vs. Non-heme Iron

 

Iron is an essential nutrient because it is a central part of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood. Iron deficiency anemia is a worldwide health problem that is especially common in young women and in children.

 

Iron is found in food in two forms, heme and non-heme iron. Heme iron, which makes up 40 percent of the iron in meat, poultry, and fish, is well absorbed. Non-heme iron, 60 percent of the iron in animal tissue and all the iron in plants (fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts) is less well absorbed. Vegan diets only contain non-heme iron. Because of this, iron recommendations are higher for vegetarians (including vegans) than for non-vegetarians. The RDA for iron is 14 milligrams per day for vegetarian men and for women after menopause, and 33 milligrams per day for women prior to menopause 1.

[KatimaDanny]

So, Does that mean I am over exceeding my Iron?

[BlueBird]

http://www.iom.edu/Global/News%20Announcements/~/media/48FAAA2FD9E74D95BBDA2236E7387B49.ashx

 

Scroll to page 4 for iron. You are correct, adult males need 8 mg iron per day. This number is doubled for a vegan/vegetarian diet (so adult vegan males need approximately 16 mg/day). The RDA is set so that 97.5% of the population in that age range would meet their requirement if they consumed that amount. Adverse effects from excessive consumption occur above 45 mg per day (this is usually constipation & darker/black stools). Children are at greatest risk of iron toxicity because their daily requirements are so much lower. There have been issues with over consumption of iron fortified infant cereal.

 

Calcium & zinc compete & therefore less iron is absorbed if consumed with those minerals. Some other things that decrease iron absorption are tannins in tea & coffee, phytic acid in soy, oxalic acid in spinach. Fiber (in beans, cereals, etc) also decreases absorption. Things that increase absorption are heme iron & vitamin C (peppers, citrus, broccoli, etc).

 

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/iron.asp

Since the body does not have an efficient way of excreting iron, it can accumulate with excess consumption. Menstruating females lose iron via monthly cycles. Males would have to donate blood.

 

So, you would have to ask yourself if you are experiencing any side effects? The ODS website has more side effects listed. Given all of the things that inhibit absorption of iron, I would say that it would balance out from what you are eating. If you are eligible & willing to donate, a cheap way to get your hemoglobin checked would be to visit Red Cross to donate blood. Hemoglobin does not reflect iron stores though.

 

For some perspective. The treatment for low iron stores in iron deficiency anemia is 65mg of elemental iron (or 325 ferrous sulfate) twice a day for approximately 3 months. 130 mg per day is far above the upper limit and yet it is an accepted treatment for iron deficiency anemia. I'm not sure if the treatment is specific to females. Males could develop iron deficiency anemia as well, although less likely unless they are losing blood regularly.

[KatimaDanny]

So...Do I have to measure the iron in my food to see if I have too much Iron?

 

Or do I have to measure the Iron in my blood?

 

I understand that 8mg of Iron (if vegan it is higher) a day is perfect for males, but is that for there blood levels? or is that with the consumption of food? (example : If I eat 50 mgs of iron a day I have went over my Iron intake and risk iron toxicity)

[Fallen_Horse]

...adult males need 8 mg iron per day. This number is doubled for a vegan/vegetarian diet (so adult vegan males need approximately 16 mg/day).

 

Adverse effects from excessive consumption occur above 45 mg per day (this is usually constipation & darker/black stools).

 

Calcium & zinc compete & therefore less iron is absorbed if consumed with those minerals. Some other things that decrease iron absorption are tannins in tea & coffee, phytic acid in soy, oxalic acid in spinach. Fiber (in beans, cereals, etc) also decreases absorption. Things that increase absorption are heme iron & vitamin C (peppers, citrus, broccoli, etc).

 

So, you would have to ask yourself if you are experiencing any side effects?....If you are eligible & willing to donate, a cheap way to get your hemoglobin checked would be to visit Red Cross to donate blood. Hemoglobin does not reflect iron stores though.

 

I have emphasized the important points.

[xjohanx]

Unless you have a mutation in the HFE gene which would cause haemochromatosis or you don't suffer from things like constipation you will be fine. If you train a lot and sometimes drink tea, coffe, cocoa etc to your meals your intake is probably just doing you good. Otherwise replace the vega with a normal protein powder.

[chrisjs]

I remember reading elsewhere here that there's a theory that heme iron is always absorbed into the blood stream, posing a toxicity risk, whereas the body can regulate non-heme iron absorption and only take in what is needed. As far as I know, all these studies about absorption just supplement xx grams and then record blood levels, they don't take into account what the body actually needs.

 

But I haven't found any good evidence to support this idea. Has anyone else heard of it?

[KatimaDanny]

Does anyone else think that Vegan has too much iron per serving? 18.0 mg does sound a lot. I do eat beans, grains daily, sometimes I have a tea a day.

So does that mean, even though there is 18.0mg per serving, not all of it will be absorbed? Apparently from what you guys just posted, it seems to be the case. but because I am eating beans and grains daily, that not all of those 18mg's will be absorbed...I am not sure if I am experiencing any side effects...I will have to wait and see.

sometimes I get some headaches running...But I don't think it is from the vega...Cause it happened before when I was not using it....Ah...guess there is no way for sure to find out unless I check my blood levels

[xjohanx]

guess there is no way for sure to find out unless I check my blood levels

 

This. I think vega is stupid because getting the rdi for every vitamin and mineral in one serving of anything is not a good thing. Go with a regular protein powder and save money.

[KatimaDanny]

guess there is no way for sure to find out unless I check my blood levels

 

This. I think vega is stupid because getting the rdi for every vitamin and mineral in one serving of anything is not a good thing. Go with a regular protein powder and save money.

 

 

Hmmm... Yeah, too much of something is a bad thing. I was just worried that I was not getting enough Iron and calcium. I did not want to go to pills to fill the requirements because I don't agree with them. So I went to Vega. I did not drink Vega for protein, I drank it for the other nutrients that are harder to get for Vegan.

[medman]

Headaches have nothing to do with iron. The only symptoms of excessive iron intake have already been brought up several times (namely: constipation). And realistically, many people only absorb 2-10% of the non-heme iron they eat (for the many reasons people have discusses here). Out of the 18mg you're supposed to get daily in your diet, only 2-4 maximum are actually absorbed. Your body also stores iron in the form of ferritin within the cells of your intestine, and if you don't need it (e.g. to replace blood you lost), those iron-filled cells slough off into the feces when they die, which is constantly.

 

So basically, you absorb only a tiny fraction of what you take in, and even what you absorb might never make it into your bloodstream if you don't have a great need for it. It takes a tremendous amount of iron to produce symptoms like constipation in most people, so if you aren't all bound up, there's really no concern you're getting "too much". There's no way to go toxic from dietary iron intake unless you're downing pills. An extra 18mg from a supplement won't do any harm at all for the reasons everyone has already explained.

[KatimaDanny]

Headaches have nothing to do with iron. The only symptoms of excessive iron intake have already been brought up several times (namely: constipation). And realistically, many people only absorb 2-10% of the non-heme iron they eat (for the many reasons people have discusses here). Out of the 18mg you're supposed to get daily in your diet, only 2-4 maximum are actually absorbed. Your body also stores iron in the form of ferritin within the cells of your intestine, and if you don't need it (e.g. to replace blood you lost), those iron-filled cells slough off into the feces when they die, which is constantly.

 

So basically, you absorb only a tiny fraction of what you take in, and even what you absorb might never make it into your bloodstream if you don't have a great need for it. It takes a tremendous amount of iron to produce symptoms like constipation in most people, so if you aren't all bound up, there's really no concern you're getting "too much". There's no way to go toxic from dietary iron intake unless you're downing pills. An extra 18mg from a supplement won't do any harm at all for the reasons everyone has already explained.

 

Thanks for that. You just cleared up my worries.

I have 2 questions then.

What do you think of Vega? and

May I ask where you get this info you just explained to me?

[medman]

I like vega personally. Sometimes the variety in my diet isn't as great as I'd like (like when I'm studying and run out of fruit for a couple of days). I don't take it every day, but I take it in those crunch times when I feel like I need to keep my nutrition up. I'd have no problems with taking it every day except for cost.

 

As for my info, I got it from med school . A combination of lectures and my own reading from a variety of texts.

[Krystyna]

If you're concerned about your iron levels, I'd just go to your doctor and ask to get a blood test done to check your ferritin levels.

 

I have the opposite problem, very low iron. I've been taking a vegan iron supplement which has 26mg a day, but in the last two months my ferritin has dropped from 14 ug/L to 9!! (15-200 is the healthy range!) My diet has been pretty poor the last few months, but I thought the supplement would take care of it. Guess since it's non-heme, only a fraction of it was being absorbed. I've been advised to double it and go in for another test in a month. I'm also going to make sure Im eating plenty of iron-rich foods again.

 

Good to know vega has a decent amount, may be good for someone like me, though I really don't like the taste.