Floradix® for women

Women are more likely to have an increased need for iron.

Women of childbearing age are considered the main risk group for iron deficiency. Even in girls, the need for iron can increase after the onset of menstruation. A woman loses valuable iron month after month due to menstruation. Because blood loss means iron loss. This must be balanced by iron-rich food or an iron preparation.

Women need more iron

Women of childbearing age are considered the main risk group for iron deficiency. The focus is on pregnant women and nursing mothers. But even without pregnancy, the iron balance of women is at risk.

The body needs iron for the formation of new cells and blood and for numerous metabolic processes, including energy production. The doctor can read the state of the trace element in the body from the blood values. The serum ferritin shows how full the memory is. From puberty onwards, these values fall below those of male comparables for women. Menstruation, i.e. cyclic blood loss, takes its toll. About two thirds of the body's iron is bound to the red blood cells and the blood loss of a normal period is on average 30 ml (= 15 mg iron) and remains constant over many years.

Compensation is only possible through food. The body cannot produce iron itself. In order to ensure a balanced iron balance, menstruating women must consume about 15 mg iron daily with their meals. Even normal cyclic bleeding can often lead to a slight iron deficiency in women over the years.

High iron demand in certain life phases

In pregnant women, the increased need is added by the formation of new cells and blood for the child, the loss of blood during childbirth and subsequently the loss of iron through breast milk during breastfeeding. In many cases, compensation through food alone is hardly possible.

It can also become critical shortly before the menopause if the menstruation is prolonged by the hormonal change and can be particularly massive. Hormonal ups and downs during puberty also often cause heavy bleeding. Because additional growth spurts with new cell and blood formation in the iron reserves are required here, young girls are at risk of developing an iron deficiency, especially if one-sided and reduced diet ensures little replenishment.

sources

• Nielsen, P.: Diagnostics and therapy of iron deficiency with and without anaemia (Bremen 2016).
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung e.V.: Reference values for iron (2017).
• Hallberg, L. et al.: Constancy of individual menstrual blood loss, in: Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand (1964).

Floradix® for the desire to have children

Ideally, women should replenish their iron reserves right from the start of family planning.

Particularly increased iron requirements arise, for example, from increased menstruation or during pregnancy and breastfeeding. In addition, folic acid is particularly important in the desire to have children and during pregnancy, since folic acid (folate) contributes to the growth of maternal tissue.

Folic acid even before pregnancy

Folic acid and growth are closely linked. For this reason, women who wish to have children and pregnant women should ensure that they have an adequate supply of the vitamin.

The central task of folic acid in the body is the formation of new cells and blood. Millions of cells are produced per second with their help: Cells for keeping the skin healthy and for hair growth, red blood cells for oxygen transport, white blood cells for defence against pathogens. Thus the vitamin is also an integral part of the growth process, which is why undersupply is critical, especially during pregnancy. Folic acid deficiency increases the risk of malformations of the central nervous system and the open back for the unborn child.

Folic acid in food

As vitamin B9, folic acid belongs to the group of B vitamins and is water-soluble. The natural form of vitamin in food is called folate. The body cannot produce folic acid, it must absorb it through food. Sources are green vegetables such as leaf salads, spinach, chard, broccoli and other cabbage, parsley, pulses, bran, whole grain, nuts and egg yolk. Folic acid is extremely sensitive to heat and UV light and degrades rapidly as food is stored, processed and cooked. A good yield only yields what is very fresh, raw or gentle, cooked with little water and low heat. Alcohol and also some drugs inhibit the absorption of folic acid in the intestine.

Need and dietary supplements

Many people do not manage to cover the daily requirement of 300 micrograms of folic acid (pregnant women 400 micrograms) with their diet. If the supply is not ensured, folic acid tablets are recommended as a supplement. Women who wish to have children are strongly advised to take folic acid. The combination with iron provides "double" safety. Both folic acid and iron are important for the formation of new cells and blood.

sources

• Crider, K.: Population red blood cell folate concentrations for prevention of neural tube defects -bayesian model, in: BMJ (2014).
• WHO Guideline: Daily iron and folic acid supplementation in pregnant women (2012).

Floradix® in pregnancy

During pregnancy, the need for iron increases by 100%.

The trace element iron is important for blood formation, oxygen transport between mother and foetus and brain development in the unborn child. In addition, an iron depot for the first weeks of life is created for the child at the same time. Ideally, women who wish to have children should replenish their iron reserves at the beginning of their family planning. In the case of a diagnosed iron deficiency during pregnancy, the attending physician usually recommends taking an iron preparation.

Pregnant women need twice as much iron

Iron deficiency during pregnancy can severely disturb the mother's well-being and the healthy development of the unborn child. Doctors advise you to fill the memory early on, preferably when you want to have children.

During pregnancy, the woman's iron requirement increases by 100 percent to up to 30 mg daily. The developing child feeds with blood formation and growth on the mother's iron stores, as does the large "placenta" for the supply of the child. In addition, the unborn child now creates its own iron stores for the first weeks of life. Only the food delivers supplies, however iron-rich food alone often is not enough here any more.

Floradix® in the nursing period

For regeneration and breastfeeding, the body needs sufficient iron after birth.

For wound healing, new milk and blood formation, the body needs sufficient iron when breastfeeding. With 20 instead of 15 milligrams per day, the demand continues to increase. Sometimes a healthy diet alone is not enough to cover such deficits. Doctors therefore recommend checking the iron levels after birth and, if necessary, counteracting them with an iron preparation at an early stage.

Iron supply during the lactation period

The increased iron requirement during pregnancy does not stop at birth. The body needs sufficient iron for regeneration and breastfeeding.

A birth is associated with considerable blood loss and blood loss means iron loss. With the average 500 milliliters that a normal birth costs the mother, she loses about 200 mg of iron. Depending on the birth, more. In addition, there are losses due to post-bleeding in the puerperium. Since pregnancy considerably increases the mother's iron reserves, the need can be great, especially after childbirth.

The body now needs sufficient iron to heal wounds and to produce new milk and blood. With 20 instead of 15 milligrams per day, the demand continues to increase. Sometimes a healthy diet alone is not enough to cover such deficits. Doctors therefore recommend checking the iron levels after birth and, if necessary, counteracting them with a high-quality iron preparation at an early stage. Once the stores are exhausted, there is a risk of anaemia, which is referred to as "postpartum anaemia" - anaemia after birth.

Floradix® for children

Iron supports the mental development of children.

Children and adolescents may have an increased need for iron during their growth. Accompanying symptoms of growth can be fatigue, less attention and less drive. Especially in girls, the need for iron can increase after menstruation. A figure-conscious diet additionally reinforces this. Even in times of high mental challenge, iron supports normal cognitive development and memory performance.

When do children need more iron?

If you want to grow big and strong, you need iron. The body needs plenty of vital substances and in particular trace elements for growth and social and mental development.

Covering the iron needs of children and young people is often not easy. The little ones refuse varied, healthy food until their parents surrender and cook pasta with tomato sauce again. The big ones prefer fast food anyway. Who has bad eaters at home should have a look at the iron supply. Children and adolescents in particular have an increased need for iron.

The child's brain is developing rapidly. Around 86 billion nerve cells need to be formed, expanded and networked in the first few years. The metabolism is running at full speed and messenger substances provide the coordination - all this is iron-dependent, even the provision of the energy for it. The situation is similar with growth: The cell division required for this is iron-dependent and iron is the central building block of the red blood cells and provides the oxygen with which the body cells produce their energy.

The trace element also quickly becomes a scarce commodity among adolescents. This can be due to the strong growth, the increase in blood volume or the loss due to the onset of menstruation in girls. In addition, there is unbalanced nutrition (fast food, sweets) or eating disorders. Not to be neglected are excessive amounts of "iron robbers" such as cola. The phosphates and tannins of the soft drink enter the digestive tract in a hardly soluble compound with iron - the organism excretes the trace element unused.

When teenagers are tired, listless and irritable, hormonal changes are not always to blame. Their iron requirement is sometimes several times higher than that of adults. Many a "puberty symptom" turns out to be an iron deficiency symptom with an effect on school performance. Iron deficiency in children can still show developmental deficits years later, with delayed speech development and fine motor skills, with difficulties in learning tasks, poorer social competence and attention disorders.

Sometimes healthy food alone is not enough

The basis for filled iron stores is a healthy diet. In the first few months, that's iron-rich breast milk. From the 6th month onwards, the child's need increases due to growth and mobility and the iron content of breast milk decreases. Now meaty supplement is recommended. Then a varied mixed diet is ideal: lots of fruit and vegetables, meat, whole grains (bread, muesli), nuts, dairy products, sea fish and lots of liquid. Meat is the best source of iron. The body can make good use of the bivalent iron it contains. The "trivalent iron" of plant foods, on the other hand, is less. A glass of orange juice (vitamin C) with food increases the yield. Strongly growing teenagers, children and adolescents who eat too little or not balanced or who stand out due to fatigue and declining performance should have their iron levels checked by a doctor.

sources

• Eliot L.: What's going on in there? (Berlin 2002).
• Nielsen, P.: Diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency with and without anaemia (2016).
• Sanes, D.: Development of the Nervous System (Cambridge 2012).
• Fretham, S. et al.: The Role of Iron in Learning and Memory, in: Advances in Nutrition (2011).
• Marques, R. et al.: Breastfeeding exclusively and iron deficiency anemia during the first 6 months of age, in: Scielo (2014).
• Domellöf, M. et al.: Iron absorption in breast-fed infants: effects of age, iron status, iron supplements, and complementary foods, in: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2002).

Floradix® for athletes

The increased need for iron during sporting activities should not be underestimated.

Athletes need more iron

Although the body meticulously recycles the iron, 1-2 mg are lost daily. For athletes, the loss of iron can even increase.

As a "vehicle" for oxygen transport in the body, iron is the linchpin of our performance. Iron not only gives the cells their red colour, but also their ability to bind oxygen and transport it from the lungs to the body cells. With the oxygen supplied, ferrous enzymes tirelessly build universally usable energy sources on site - similar to a battery supply. The whole body lives on it.

Floradix® for Vegetarians and Vegans

It can be difficult for vegetarians and vegans to cover their iron needs.

There are plant foods that contain iron, such as legumes, green vegetables, whole grain products and nuts. However, the trace element contained in it (trivalent iron) is much less well utilised by the body, as it is difficult to dissolve in trivalent form and cannot be absorbed by the intestines in undissolved form. Our body can best utilize bivalent iron, since the bivalent form is water-soluble and can thus be absorbed by the intestine. If the daily iron requirement cannot be met, Floradix® Iron plus B12 vegan is recommended. Especially with vegan nutrition, a supplementary supply of vitamin B12 is necessary, because it cannot be available in the diet due to the renunciation of animal food.

Vegetable food with a lot of iron

An iron-rich diet is also possible without meat. Since the body does not absorb the iron from plant foods as well, it is important to pay special attention to the preparation.

In particular, nuts and kernels, pulses such as lentils and beans, and dried fruit are theoretically good sources of iron. However, it should be noted that the so-called trivalent iron from plant foods has a lower bioavailability than the divalent haem-bound iron found in meat. This means that the body cannot absorb the trivalent iron so well.

This makes it all the more important in a vegetarian or vegan diet to specifically promote the absorption of iron. This is possible, for example, through vitamin C, fruit acid or lactic acid, which can be taken together with iron to increase bioavailability. Substances that hinder absorption should not be consumed together with iron-rich food. These include calcium, e.g. in dairy products, and tannins from coffee as well as black and green teas.

There are also inhibiting substances in the plants themselves. For example, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) recommends the soaking or germination of cereals and legumes in order to reduce the content of phytates that inhibit iron uptake.

Preparation is also important. For example, cooking can cause losses. For example, 100 g raw black salsify contains an average of 3.3 mg iron. After it has been cooked and drained, the average value is only 2.9 mg.

When switching to a purely vegetable diet, it is essential to ensure that the diet is sufficiently rich in iron. A doctor should regularly check the iron status so that it can be determined at an early stage whether a dietary supplement with an iron preparation is necessary.

Good vegetable iron sources

The figures are the average of the edible part per 100 grams.

• Sesame seed 10 mg
• Amaranth, seed 9,0 mg
• Pistachio 7,3 mg
• Sunflower seeds 6,3 mg
• Oat flakes 5,8 mg
• Apricot, dried 4,4 mg
• Almond, sweet 4,1 mg
• Hazelnut 3,8 mg
• Parsley 3,6 mg
• dandelion leaves 3,4 mg
• Fig, dried 3,3 mg
• Cashew nut 2.8 mg
• Plum, dried 2,3 mg
• Lentils, cooked 2,1 mg
• White beans, cooked 2,1 mg
• Lamb's lettuce 2,0 mg
• Gherkins, salt gherkins (lactic acid) 1,6 mg
• Endive 1,4 mg
• Peas, green, cooked and drained 1,3 mg
• Black currants 1,3 mg
• Raspberry 1,0 mg

Source for all data on iron content in food: Souci, expert, herb: [The composition of food, nutrition tables] Food composition and nutrition tables. Stuttgart, 2008 (7th, rev. and erg. edition).

Sources:

• Federal Institute for Risk Assessment: Questions and Answers on iron in food (2017).
• Nielsen, P.: Diagnostics and therapy of iron deficiency with and without anaemia (Bremen 2016).
• Souci, S. et al.: The composition of food, nutrition tables (Stuttgart 2008).

Floradix® for the age group 50 plus

With increasing age it makes sense to keep an eye on the iron supply.

Iron deficiency becomes a topic especially in the second half of life, since symptoms such as tiredness and listlessness can intensify the existing complaints. In addition, the ability of the intestine to absorb iron decreases with increasing age. It therefore makes sense to keep an eye on the iron supply.

Iron is particularly important from 50 upwards

When fatigue creeps in, concentration decreases or the heart no longer wants it, it is not always age alone that is to blame. It could also be an iron deficiency.

Iron is important for performance and health. This applies above all to the oxygen supply. About two thirds of the body's iron is the building block of the red blood pigment haemoglobin, which is responsible for oxygen transport on the red blood cells. All organs, especially the heart and brain, depend on an adequate supply. With the supplied oxygen they produce the energy for their performance, including the pumping function of the heart, the endurance and strength of the muscles, brain performance and the production of body heat.

Floradix® for seniors

In old age it is often not so easy to eat iron-rich.

Changes in eating habits and a lack of appetite can be the reason for a poor supply of iron in old age. In addition, the normal absorption of iron through the intestines decreases over the years. Last but not least, the need for iron also increases during the recovery period after illness or through the intake of certain medications. For this reason, it is essential to ensure an adequate supply of iron in your diet. If iron levels are poor, the family doctor can help.

Rich in vital substances through the best years

Age often poses obstacles to a healthy diet. For example, a lack of appetite or dental problems can make it difficult to absorb healthy substances via the diet. A varied and complete menu is now particularly important.

Over the years, the body needs fewer and fewer calories because the basal metabolic rate decreases and the energy-consuming muscle mass decreases. The need for vital substances, on the other hand, is increasing because the organism is increasingly less able to utilize them and many metabolic processes no longer run "smoothly" on their own. The diet should contain plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as whole grains, lean meat, fish, dairy products (little butter), pulses, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils.

Floradix® for inflammatory iron deficiency anaemia

Not every body can absorb iron equally well.

The iron metabolism of the body is a fine set of rules. Drug iron therapy is used when there is not enough iron ingested or available in the diet to meet iron needs and to prevent iron deficiency. However, increasing iron intake as needed does not always work. In such cases it may be useful to focus on the metabolism and influence it to better utilize the iron from food. The protein lactoferrin can help to activate the biophysiological utilization of iron - especially when there is an inflammatory iron deficiency.

What is lactoferrin?

Not every body can absorb iron equally well. The protein lactoferrin can help to activate iron utilization - especially when there is an inflammatory iron deficiency.

1. iron transfer from the intestine into the blood

The ingested iron (marked as "Fe" in the diagram) enters the intestine via the normal digestive tract. There, the iron transfer protein ferroportin ensures that the food iron from the small intestine cells passes into the bloodstream.

2. effect of inflammations

As soon as we ingest iron, the liver starts producing a peptide with 25 amino acids. This small protein is called hepcidin. According to current knowledge, it regulates the iron level in the blood. If the iron level in the bloodstream is high, the liver produces more hepcidin, which breaks down the iron transfer protein ferroportin. This means less iron gets into the blood. Hepcidin is also released in inflammatory reactions. Thus already existing inflammations can increase the Hepcidinspiegel and block the transfer into the blood - even if an iron need exists.

3. lactoferrin promotes iron absorption

The protein lactoferrin reduces inflammation factors and thus promotes the absorption of iron into the blood and its availability in the body. Blockages of the iron transfer caused by hepcidin as a result of the inflammation signal are minimized. This positive effect on the iron metabolism can stabilize blood values and Hb value.

The protein lactoferrin

For therapeutic use, lactoferrin is gently extracted from skimmed cow's milk while maintaining physiological activity. By the way, it is also a component of breast milk, where it inhibits inflammatory processes. The protein is inconspicuous in taste and can be taken as a capsule. After consultation with the doctor, it can be used for long-term dietary treatment of iron deficiency anaemia. It is important that a normal iron intake with food or a medicinal iron intake is still given. The use of lactoferrin can also be useful for the treatment of inflammation-related iron deficiency up to anaemia.

sources

• Paesano, R. et al.: Body iron delocalization - the serious drawback in iron disorders in both developing and developed countries, in: Pathogens and Global Health (2012).
• Schümann, K. et al.: Risks and benefits of iron supplementation: Recommendations for iron uptake critically considered, in: Perspectives in Medicine (2014).