Anaemia - which supplement do you find most effective?

anyone have advice here?

undercooked steak

Cheese fries and chicken fried moose nipples.

Do you even know what kind of anemia you have? There are a ton of different kinds . . . not everyone who's anemic has iron deficiency anemia.

I've had really good results with an iron amino acid chelate. I'm not an expert, but I believe that the "chelated" pills means that the iron is bound with a protein for better absorption and reduced GI issues. If you can order it from iherb.com or obtain it from another source (I'm assuming you're non-US based on your spelling of anemia), I have liked Nature's Plus chewable iron tablets and would recommend them. Good luck!

I never understand why runners are trying to fix all problems with medication.

Stop running and eat some red meat and you will be more healthy overall.

Xfit_guy_the_real_1 wrote:

I never understand why runners are trying to fix all problems with medication.

Stop running and eat some red meat and you will be more healthy overall.

Wrong. If you have iron absorption problems you're unlikely to ever get enough iron from food alone.

ananemiac wrote:

Wrong. If you have iron absorption problems you're unlikely to ever get enough iron from food alone.

Most people who have trouble absorbing iron do so because their diet lacks (healthy) fat. Introduce red meat and you get the iron you need a long with the fat needed to absorb the iron.

Case closed.

Let me call my hematologist and tell him he was wrong.

I had been taking a ferrous sulfate pill daily for years but still became iron-deficient and anemic after donating blood. I switched to a higher dose of liquid ferrous sulfate and saw some improvement but not as much as I expected. I ended up going to a dietician who said that ferrous sulfate is poorly absorbed. She recommended ferrous bisglycinate chelate for better absorption (the brand I use is Solgar Gentle Iron) and eating red meat 2-3 times a week. I haven't had my ferritin retested since then to see if it is working better than the liquid iron, but I feel like I'm back to normal.

Fe wrote:

I ended up going to a dietician who [..] recommended [..] eating red meat 2-3 times a week.

Basically what I have been saying all along.

mimb bos

False, you said diet alone was an effective treatment for anemia. The dietician recommended increased red meat consumption along with a different iron supplement. If you are genetically predisposed to anemia diet will most likely never be enough to keep you at the levels needed to run at a high level.

I plan to try this when I run out of my current stuff - http://www.amazon.com/WELLESSE-Liquid-Mineral-Supplement-Ounce/dp/B006LTCAU2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398454024&sr=8-1&keywords=liquid+iron

I went through a bad bout of iron deficiency this last year. I was taking the ferrous sulphate pretty regularly for a couple weeks and noticed I wasn't feeling any better.

Surprisingly, malt-o-meal and granola are high in iron. Seriously, I would suggest making yourself Malt-o-Meal for breakfast every morning, a bag of granola for snack, and incorporate red meats into your dinner.

Malt-o-meal on its own tastes like crap though. On the side of the box is a recipe for making malt-o-meal muffins which I prep every Sunday.

Good luck!