Iron bisglycinate: the gentle, well-absorbed form of iron

What iron does, and who is short of it

Iron is the mineral your body uses to make haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood, so it contributes to normal oxygen transport, to normal formation of red blood cells, and to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Women of menstruating age are the group most likely to run low, along with people who eat little or no red meat. The UK reference intake is 14.8 mg a day for women and 8.7 mg for men. Feeling tired is a common reason people reach for iron, but tiredness has many causes, and only a blood test tells you whether iron is the one.

Why bisglycinate is gentler

Standard iron salts, like ferrous sulfate, are strong and effective, but they are also the reason iron has a reputation for upsetting stomachs and causing constipation. Bisglycinate is iron bound to the amino acid glycine, which changes how it is absorbed and tends to be easier to tolerate. When we built our own iron around ferrous bisglycinate, the comment we stopped hearing was "I had to stop taking it". A gentler form matters because iron only helps if you keep taking it.

How to take iron so it absorbs well

This matters more than most people realise, and it is free to get right.

• Take it with a source of vitamin C, like a glass of orange juice. Vitamin C helps your body absorb the non-haem iron in supplements. Ours already includes vitamin C for this reason.
• Keep it away from tea and coffee, which contain compounds that bind iron and cut absorption. Leave an hour either side.
• Do not take it at the same time as a calcium supplement or a big dairy meal, which also compete with iron.
• There is decent evidence that taking iron every other day, rather than daily, can improve how much you absorb per dose. The research is still fairly small and mostly in women with low stores, so treat it as worth trying rather than a rule.

Do you need an iron supplement?

The first question comes before the form: do you need iron at all? If a blood test has not shown you are low, you may not need iron at all, and taking it without a reason is not a good idea. Too much iron is harmful, and some people have conditions, like haemochromatosis, where an iron supplement is the wrong move. So the sensible order is to get tested first, and if you are low, choose a gentle form and take it with the timing above. Our gentle iron uses ferrous bisglycinate at 25 mg with added vitamin C, which is the form and pairing that make iron easier to live with.