Best Iron Supplements

Iron is a key mineral found within the human body that is absolutely essential for the maintenance of optimal health and function. It is important to note that although iron is most commonly known for its role in helping red blood cells carry oxygen around the body, it also has a host of other important interactions.

In fact, all cells within the body contain some trace amounts of iron. Within this, iron plays an integral role helping the body create energy from the food that we eat.

Additionally, iron is also required to allow the transmission of nerve impulses throughout the body, which is obviously essential for both physical movement and cognitive thought.

It is important to note that iron itself is considered an essential nutrient, as it can’t be made within the body – and as such has to be absorbed through the food we eat.

And this is where the problem lies.

You see, iron deficiency is thought to be the most common nutritional deficiency within the United States. Within this rather alarming statistic, it is important to state that females appear much more likely to become iron deficient than their male counterparts ^[1].

What happens if we become iron deficient?

As previously mentioned, iron deficiency is extremely common across the entire population – which is something we want to avoid at all costs if possible, as becoming iron deficient can have a host of negative effects on our health.

As iron is required to allow the transportation of oxygen around the body, if we become deficient, our capacity to provide our muscles and essential tissues with energy becomes greatly inhibited.  This can lead to prolonged fatigue, combined with significant declines in physical and mental energy levels.

This often comes with a drop in appetite, large fluctuations in weight, declines in skin quality combined with a decrease in general cognitive function, and even associated hormone imbalances.

In short, iron deficiency can seriously impact our ability to function on a daily basis.

What are the benefits of taking an iron supplement?

A high quality iron supplement ensures that we have adequate iron available within the body to function optimally. This can have a host of benefits throughout the human body – in both those individuals who are iron deficient, and those who aren’t.

Iron Supplements Can Boost Energy

As previously mentioned, Iron plays an important role in both transporting oxygen throughout the body AND breaking down nutrients for energy. As such, supplementing with a good quality iron supplement can greatly improve our ability to produce energy, while staving off feelings of fatigue and lethargy ^[2].

Interestingly, through this same mechanism, iron supplementation has also been suggested to improve exercise performance and endurance capacity. 

Iron Supplements Can Improve Cognitive Function

In conjunction with its impact on physical energy levels, the supplementation of iron has also been suggested to cause large improvement in mood, while also causing improvements in cognitive function.

This suggests that the supplementation or iron may hold significant importance in those individuals who have trouble concentrating for long periods of time, have issues solving problems, and get mentally fatigued easily ^[3].

To build on this notion a little further, the supplementation of iron has also been shown to have a positive impact on those individual suffering from ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), in which it can improve concentration and attentiveness ^[4].

Iron Supplementation and Female Health

We mentioned briefly above that females are much more likely to become iron deficient than men. This is due to the fact that women lose quite a bit of iron from their body during their menstrual cycle, and also after menopause.

This can greatly increase the risk of becoming iron deficient, while also incurring the negative effects that come with it.

Interestingly, in post menopausal women, this iron deficiency has also shown some association with an increased risk of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disease – suggesting that the supplementation of iron is extremely important within this population ^[5].

As with most supplements, some are unquestionably better than others. With this in mind, we have gone ahead and found three excellent options that offer potent dosages and a high rate of absorption – we truly believe these are the best absorbed iron supplements available on the market at the moment.

​These iron tablets by nature made are arguably the most popular on this list. They provide an excellent option with a high rate of absorption, in what we would consider a relatively high dose.

As an added bonus, these are also extremely affordable – in which they are actually the cheapest option on this list. As such, they are in ideal option for those looking for a good quality supplement that wont break the bank.

​MegaFood have been a favorite of ours for a very long time. As a company, they are well known for producing high quality products, and providing excellent customer service – no matter what option of theirs you go for, you cant go wrong.

With their iron supplement specifically, it offers an extremely good rate of absorption, and is provided in scientifically supported dosages – providing us with an excellent option.

Although this option by Zahlers does come in at a slightly higher price point, you are paying for quality. This is a great option that provides one of the highest rates of absorption available within a general iron supplement.

This is a fantastic choice for those willing to spend a little extra cash.

Take-Away message

Iron is one of the most important minerals within the body, where it plays integral roles across the body in its entirety. Unfortunately, iron deficiency is also the most common nutritional deficiency within the untied states – in which it comes with a huge number of health implications.

On a more positive note, the supplementation of iron is a very simple means to remedy this.

As an added bonus, the supplementation of iron can also have benefits for those individuals who are not deficient, causing improvement in energy, cognitive function, all while ensuring the maintenance of general health.

The three supplements outlined above are what we believe to be the best options available on the market. If you have had experience with any of them, we would love to hear about it – so please drop us a comment and we will get back to you ASAP.