Iron Supplements - Vitamins & Supplements Message Board

Running Queen · 12-19-2001, 10:15 PM

I am a college cross country runner. I was talking to my coach the other day and he said that I should be taking iron supplements for extra energy. He said that there is a liquid form that is absorbed better by the body. Does anyone know what this is called? Where I can get it? What benifits does it have?

strait · 12-22-2001, 07:45 PM

I'm by no means a doctor but I think that may be a little excessive. You certainly need an increased amount of many vitamins and minerals including iron. However, taking in too much can have negative effects on your health as well. I believe women need about 15-18 mgs of iron and men 10 mgs per day. Obviously increase that by a little bit for athletes.

I'm a male college athlete and I get by with eating right (proteins like chicken, beef, eggs contain iron) and taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement everyday. You might want to check out the Centrum brand. It has 18 mgs which would help you out. Ask your pharmacist what he/she recommends. Hope I helped a little.

Gaia · 01-11-2002, 04:27 PM

Sorry to say, but your coach doesn't know what he's talking about. Nobody should take an iron supplement unless you are diagnosed as having anemia by your doctor. If you are not anemic, extra iron won't do a thing for you and can actually be dangerous in the long term. If you want more energy, eat well, sleep well, take a good multivitamin/mineral without iron and you can try an adaptogenic herb like Siberian Ginseng, Rhodiola or Cordyceps. Adaptogens are herbs that help balance the body. They calm the mind, energize the body, improve immune health, increase resistance to stress and increase stamina during exercise. Good luck!

tropdefemme · 01-24-2002, 09:42 PM

Sidenote: I've read that vitamin E inhibits the full absorption of iron, so if you take an iron supplement, take it at a separate time of day from your multi (which contains the E). Yeah, that means that the iron in multi's aren't as useful as they seem, but who would buy a mutli vitamin with such a glaring omission?

Melissa