Multi Iron Complex Iron, 90 capsules

Multi Iron or Multi Iron Complex?

Here’s an actual customer enquiry: Which do you recommend? Multi Iron or Multi Iron Complex?

The main difference between the two products is the dosage. If you want to take 7 mg of iron daily, Multi Iron is the right product.
7 mg is a dosage chosen, for example, by people who simply want to take a general preventative measure. This includes, for example, vegans, women with chronic issues such as heavy periods, etc.

Multi Iron Complex contains 14 mg of iron per capsule. This makes sense for people who want or need to take a little more, for example because they already have a mild deficiency. Or for people who do not have a deficiency but want to prevent one because they have already experienced it, for example following very heavy periods.
If a doctor has already identified a mild deficiency in a lab report, 14 mg or Multi Iron Complex would be the more advisable option. People who are constantly losing blood due to chronic conditions (e.g. chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) should also take iron regularly, in an amount appropriate to the severity of their symptoms.

As a general rule:

Iron is absolutely vital, and your iron levels should always be adequate. Long-term iron deficiency is harmful to the body and can also affect an unborn child.
However, iron is also a nutrient that should not be taken in excess. Too much iron is just as harmful.
So it is best to take iron supplements only if your doctor has already recommended them, or if you have previously experienced a medically diagnosed iron deficiency and know that you are entering another phase where you will need plenty of iron.
People who eat meat, lead a generally healthy lifestyle and have no specific medical or gynaecological issues do not usually need to take any iron at all.
People who are already feeling very unwell due to their iron deficiency, e.g. with very noticeable anaemia characterised by paleness and fatigue, should first and foremost follow their doctor’s advice; in such cases, the doctor will probably recommend iron infusions, as the amount of iron required very quickly in an emergency cannot be absorbed via capsules at all.
And if the doctor recommends nothing at all despite clear signs of anaemia, you should change doctors... Unfortunately, there are quite a few doctors who have a very limited understanding of nutrition and nutrient deficiencies and, in such cases, do nothing apart from offering half-hearted advice (such as ‘eat more meat...’).

On the subject of tolerability: many doctors who aren’t particularly well-informed prescribe very high-dose iron supplements from the chemist to patients with severe deficiencies, rather than administering costly and labour-intensive infusions.
However, iron is often poorly tolerated by many people, depending on the chemical compound. It is therefore not uncommon for health problems to become worse after taking it than they were before, for example because one has iron deficiency due to chronic intestinal inflammation – unfortunately not a rare condition. In such cases, extreme anaemia is replaced by extreme intestinal cramps, which is ultimately no better for the sufferer...
The chemical compound used in St. Helia Multi Iron Complex is very well tolerated, even in the 14 mg variant. We have user reports indicating that people experienced no problems whatsoever, even with higher doses or prolonged use.
For all hypersensitive customers, we recommend Eisen Aktiv by Podomedi. This contains iron chelates, which are significantly better tolerated than Multi Iron Complex with its iron fumarate!
Chelates are generally the highest-quality and best-tolerated compounds for absorbing minerals!

Tolerable Upper Intake Level

The UL value for iron has not been established in Europe. In the USA, the Institute of Medicine has set a Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for iron of 45 mg per day. This is the amount that can be taken daily over a prolonged period without causing health problems.

Who should avoid taking iron?

Generally speaking, people with the not-entirely-rare hereditary condition haemochromatosis (iron storage disease) should not take iron. Depending on the source, this condition affects between 1 in 200 and 1 in 400 people.