Is Blood Vitality, heme or non-heme iron?
Blood vitality contains non heme iron, meaning it’s iron that’s not derived from an animal.
Is Blood Vitality Gluten Free?
Yes, Blood Vitality is gluten free. There are no ingredients with wheat or wheat byproducts used in the creation of Blood Vitality. It does contain rice because we use a rice protein, to house the iron that makes Blood Vitality so special.
Is there Bisglycinate in Blood Vitality?
There is no iron bisglycinate, no glycine in Blood Vitality. That is not a form we’re using. We are using a whole protein to house the iron in, to make it extremely stable, so it can be absorbed as a whole food iron source.
I have “normal” but low levels of ferritin, should I start supplementing with iron?
While I’m a doctor who sees patients, I’m not your doctor, so I can’t specifically tell you whether you should start taking iron or not to take iron.
However, as a general guideline, a ferritin of 21 is considered normal on your LabCorp results or Quest lab results, but that is not an optimal ferritin level for most people. A ferritin between 50 and 70 for most people will be fantastic.
I have found that for some athletes, runners, rugby players, soccer players, that keeping a ferritin level over 100, even 120, or even supplementing when their ferritin levels are already at 100 or so, could increase their performance and help them feel better and they may find that their stamina is better, their recovery is better, and their mood is better.
Should I have my ferritin levels tested before I begin taking Blood Vitality?
I think it’s always a good idea to get your ferritin levels checked, your iron levels checked, your total iron binding capacity, get your iron saturation, get your CBC to get these levels tested before supplementing with iron.
Having baseline markers can really let you see, okay, what is this doing for me? What is my dosing? What do I need for my body? Because every body is a little different, our chemistry is all a little different. So I think it’s high value to get your levels checked before starting an iron supplement.
Is there a place I can order labs myself?
Yes, you can go to directlabs.com or you can go to ultalabs.com for ferritin testing.
And if you decide to go get your ferritin levels checked, I would also suggest checking your CBC, check your iron saturation, check your serum iron and check your total iron binding capacity and look at those as a whole to help you make a decision on what would be best for you related to iron supplementation.
Due to my experience with Iron Glycinate, do you think I would do well with Blood Vitality?
So like I had mentioned in another question, I used to use iron glycinate all the time with patients because its considered a slow iron, an easy iron.
But patients were experiencing side effects and were not getting the results they wanted. Patients didn’t want to take it because even though they had single digit ferritin levels, it wasn’t worth the headaches, the nausea, and the black stools.
That’s why for the past 5 years, I’ve used Blood Vitality almost exclusively for my patients because it has gotten crazy good results consistently and patients just don’t have the side effects like they had with iron glycinate.
So yes, if you have had a terrible experience with iron bis glycinate, more than likely you’ll have a fantastic experience with Blood Vitality.
My wife’s levels increased by 31 points when she was pregnant with twins, her ferritin was at a 10 and went to a 9 on 90 milligrams of iron bisglycinate. When Blood Vitality became available, I started her on that and her levels went from nine to 23 in 31 days in the third trimester. She felt so much better. No more side effects, no more nausea, no more headaches, no black stools.
I am under the impression that Heme taken as Heme iron polypeptide is highly absorbable and does not create the inflammatory hepcidin response like regular iron. How does this compare/differ from Blood Vitality?
As far as hepcidin goes, whether you take supplemental heme iron, or you take non heme iron or consume iron-rich foods, either way, hepcidin is going to go up and hepcidin isn’t an inflammatory thing. Hepcidin does rise with inflammation in the body, but in of itself, it is just a gate to make sure you don’t get excessive amounts of iron.
If you get excess amounts of iron, you’re going to run into trouble. And then if you need iron, it also acts as a gate to go down and send signals out to allow iron to be absorbed and allow these enzymes to move iron out of macrophages and move iron from the intestinal lumen into the bloodstream.
There are no head-to-head studies comparing the heme iron polypeptide and hydrolyzed rice protein iron like we have in Blood Vitality.
But in my experience with hundreds of thousands of doses, I don’t know, lots of doses of in iron deficient patients suggests there is a difference because we just get remarkable results after remarkable results and super consistently using the hydrolyzed whole rice protein iron.
I don’t think it’s advisable really to just give a person straight iron, whether that’s heme or non-heme, because the body requires this whole orchestra of vitamins to properly utilize iron. Copper, molybdenum, some of the B vitamins, vitamin C, these are essential for maximizing iron metabolism. If you take a bunch of iron over and over again, you’re actually going to deplete your copper levels which is going to lead to even more iron issues and anemia issues.
So that’s where I think there’s a huge diversion. And one of the reasons we can get massive results with a very small amount of elemental iron, 15 milligrams or 30 milligrams of elemental iron versus 90, 100, 200 milligrams of iron glycinate or ferrous fumarate or heme iron polypeptides. It’s wild the amount of iron people are taking and still not getting results. Or maybe they are getting results, but it’s so much iron and what is the body doing with all that iron? It’s likely getting stuck somewhere.
Either that or you’re pooping it out every time. But at any rate, all this excess iron is actually an irritation in the body. It’s creating other nutrient imbalances, other mineral imbalances.
So I’m a big, big proponent of physiological dosing of iron, which is why we try to stay within that 15 to 30 milligram range. In some cases, people who were set up for blood transfusions which they didn’t want started taking close to 60 milligrams of elemental iron via Blood Vitality or four capsules over about a four to six week time frame and got fantastic results.
Hepcidin is going to rise no matter what. If you’re supplementing with iron or if you’re eating red meat. Most studies are showing the greatest rise in hepcidin when you’re supplementing in excess of 60 milligrams a day.
So if you can keep your iron less than that on a daily basis, you’re going to get a very small rise in hepcidin and this doesn’t matter if it’s heme or non-heme, even in as far as the inflammatory part, if there’s inflammation in your body, Hepcidin is going to go up and it’s going to be elevated. It would be high value to aim to take care of the inflammation.
Figure out if it’s from food, stress, sleep, an autoimmune disease and then what you can do to rectify the inflammatory cascade present in the body to support more efficient iron utilization, more efficient iron absorption.
For me, one of the greatest advantages of the hydrolyzed rice protein matrix, like in Blood Vitality is that the intestines receive the iron like a whole food rather than this, you know, standalone iron over here. The iron is actually hidden within the rice protein this allows for a considerably lower iron dose. And if you can dose iron lower and get more uptake, get more utilization, then you can bypass the whole inflammatory, oxidative, irritant response of iron.
Who doesn’t want to do that?
Can or should I take the iron capsules with food? Also do you recommend taking both capsules at the same time or spreading the dosage out?
You can take iron with food. In fact, you know, there’s a lot of different fruits that can actually increase iron absorption. Meat such as red meat, chicken, turkey, buffalo, bison, can actually increase iron uptake. High vitamin C foods are beneficial, but taking iron with calcium is a bad idea. Calcium can both bind the heme and non heme iron making it so that the Enterocytes in your intestines cannot uptake iron, so definitely want to keep it away from calcium.
Is it best to take Blood Vitality in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Ideally, I recommend taking it in the morning and in a fasted state would be even better.
However, if that’s challenged then take it in the afternoon.
Some people drink teas and coffees and they have all kinds of issues with iron absorption. Other people drink them all day long and their levels rise just fine. So there is individuality here.
I would say, if you’re taking just 15 milligrams of iron in the morning, like one Blood Vitality and then you’re taking another one in the afternoon or evening that should work great as far as dosing twice during the day.
But at the same time, you can also just take 30 milligrams or two capsules in the morning.
There are studies suggesting that once you start supplementing with iron, that hepcidin will rise and that the amount of fractional iron you would absorb from your supplementation will decrease as the day goes on.
So if a person can take Blood Vitality in the morning, that’s what I suggest.
If you’re having to take more than two capsules a day, then often I’m going to recommend, to give yourself at least one day out of the week where you actually take a break, don’t take any at all to try to minimize the hepcidin levels in the body and maximize your potential for absorption.
Knowing that I shouldn’t take iron supplements with food, calcium, or caffeine, I am taking Blood Vitality 2 hours after breakfast and 2 hours after dinner with a few orange slices for additional Vitamin C … is that far enough removed for chance at better absorption?
Caffeine itself doesn’t seem to make a difference. It’s actually the acids, the tannins that are the problem in teas and coffee. But in regards to the question, taking Blood Vitality two hours away from a meal is great.
If you’re taking thyroid medication, I would take it like four hours away from your thyroid medication. If there’s a bunch of dairy in. Your meal, then I would probably wait for about four hours.
I’ve heard iron is better to take without food; is this correct and does that apply to Blood Vitality?
Yes, optimal iron absorption across the board seems to be better when it’s on an empty stomach.
Red meat and fruit do seem like they actually help with overall iron absorption.
If you’re having a little bit of fruit or you’re having a little bit of meat with your iron, that actually could help. If you’re taking a bunch of calcium, drinking a lot of dairy that could be a problem for sure, but otherwise it shouldn’t be much of an issue.
Do I need to be careful to take the pills away from mealtimes? (I’ve read that for some supplements, you are not supposed to eat along with meals). And if so, how long after a meal/how long before a meal do I need to wait?
You can open up your capsule and take it with your food. A lot of people do that. You can take it with berries, apples, bananas, rice nut seeds, meats, they can all be reasonable options to allow and even sometimes facilitate greater absorption.
I wouldn’t go excessive on the nuts and seeds, but a little bit should be fine.
And then open up the capsules and that can actually help disperse some of the minerals so they’re not showing up at the exact same spot at the exact same time in the stomach lining or intestinal lining.
If for some reason you’re having issues with an irritated bowel or any kind of digestive stress, take one iron capsule at a time and then take a break, take one every third day, take one every other day, if your bowels tend to slow down or you get constipated.
Most people do not have digestive issues or constipation with Blood Vitality. For those who have issues with the vegetarian capsule itself, opening up the capsule and putting it in your food or smoothie can help a ton because it gets rid of all the digestive distress associated with the vegetarian coating.
Can I take Magnesium Complete with Blood Vitality before bed?
You can definitely take Blood Vitality and Magnesium Complete which contains magnesium threonate in the evening together, no problem at all.
I just watched your “More Isn’t Always Better” video and now I’m curious if I should avoid taking natural forms of iron? I’ve been taking blackstrap molasses and spirulina powder and I’m wondering if this may be too much, too fast on the iron.
So when it comes to blackstrap molasses, when it comes to spirulina, the amounts in there are so minuscule. I mean, you’ll be puking up molasses before you ever take too much iron via molasses.
So it is super unlikely that there’s enough there to upregulate hepcidin levels.
Black strap molasses and spirulina contain a lot of antioxidants, plus a lot of other minerals and vitamins that can actually benefit the body and could lead to keeping hepcidin levels down.
What is an optimal ferritin lab result for a male vs. a female?
So ferritin in the range of about 70 to 120 is considered ideal for both men and women, however, some people especially athletes, notice greater improvement in their performance when their levels are above 120 or even supplementing when their levels were already 110, 114, 118.
And so there can be some acute benefit even in people who are at a very high level in their athletics or in their sport and competition.
And then there are of course some outliers who really feel great at 50 or they really feel great at 150. I think about one patient whose hair didn’t stop falling out and start growing back till we got her in the 120 range.
So there’s this curve, but there’s people on the edges too.
And you know, if a person’s feeling fantastic and their iron or their ferritin is at 48, I’m probably not going to tell them you need to get it up to 70 or 120. If they’re feeling fantastic and have great energy, then that might be the right level for them.
If all inflammatory signs are good and a person runs a ferritin of 150 consistently and their health parameters are great, I’m going to say 150 is great.
I will say though, in doing 20,000 plus blood draws over 14 years and measuring iron levels, ferritin levels, I really haven’t seen anyone benefit from pushing their level over 150.
I think a level of 150 for ferritin is really, in my personal clinical experience is more than sufficient. If you’re feeling better with a ferritin of 300, then it’s probably due to something else in your life or body that is feeling better, but it’s unlikely that it’s the iron level. We don’t have any data showing that maintaining a ferritin of 300 is ideal for anybody.
What should athletes take?
Number one, I would go get your ferritin levels checked, your iron saturation, get your CBC, get your total iron binding capacity, your serum iron, get those levels checked, your B12 levels checked, your thyroid levels checked, make sure those are all good to go.
And then if you are low, if you’re under 40 as far as ferritin goes, and you are an athlete, then I think you could at least test it out and see at what level you notice the most improvement in your performance.
I don’t know how many times I’ve counseled with female track athletes and cross country runners who were underperforming, feeling like they lost their love for running.
You know, it’s going on for six months, eight months, a year. Finally, they call up wanting to have a consultation or they come to the office and check their levels out. Once they get their ferritin up again, they’re back to running, back to performing, back to getting PRs, back to loving running again.
I had a high school volleyball player who they thought had multiple sclerosis or was experiencing demyelination of her nervous system because she lost all feeling in her body during a regional match and they had to cart her off. Her mom called me up and we checked her iron levels and lo and behold, her ferritin was like six, literally within two weeks of getting her iron levels up, she was back playing volleyball, feeling great. If you’re an athlete and you’re not checking your levels and then supplementing appropriately to support yourself, you’re really missing out on some performance opportunity.
What are optimal iron levels for girls between 5-10 yrs?
The optimal ferritin levels for children are kind of on the same spectrum as adults, but children need about half the amount of iron daily as most adults.
A 5 to 10 year old would need about 8 to 10 milligrams of iron per day and a multivitamin.
I wouldn’t supplement a 5 or 10 year old with iron if you haven’t checked their levels and made sure they’re insufficient.
I would also look at their diet, so many kids are running around eating crackers, cookies and chips as their go-to foods. You got to get them off of Cheerios and donuts and got them eating some red meat, some beef, some eggs.
That in itself would, would likely be enough for so many of them to get their iron levels up.
Will Blood Vitality interact with Bi-polar meds?
There’s no known interactions between bipolar meds and Blood Vitality, between the minerals and the vitamins in Blood Vitality and bipolar meds.
Is Blood Vitality safe to take as a Type 2 Diabetic?
Yes, Blood Vitality is definitely safe to take if you’re a type 2 diabetic.
As always, if you’re on any kind of medications though and you’re starting a new supplement or medication, you always want to talk to your doctor.
This is my second day of taking Blood Vitality. Yesterday I started with two pills. Last night I had some bad gas. Is that common with Blood Vitality?
We don’t normally see GI effects but anything is possible.
Humans biochemistry is all, all different.
So I would say if you started taking, say, Blood Vitality and for example, you took two yesterday, took two today and then you have gas and you normally never have gas, then take a break from Blood Vitality and see if the gas goes away.
Then start taking Blood Vitality again, maybe start with one and see how it goes and if your symptoms present again.
Ideally I would start low, start slow, and work your way up.
I’ve seen people who eat fast food and junk food switch to whole foods – vegetables, fruit, and meat.
Oftentimes there’s big digestive changes. They may feel more bloated, more constipated, because the flora is changing to try to measure up to the new inputs that are coming into the body.
So it doesn’t mean that you should stop eating real food and go back to McDonald’s. It means that your body needs some time to calibrate to real, whole food coming into it.
And the same can often be true for supplements, so start slow and work your way up.
