Some important facts heme iron

These are central things about heme iron in itself. Heme iron is a main ingredient in the OptiFer® series tablets.

1. IMPORTANT FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HEME IRON

2. Only two kinds of dietary iron usable There are only two forms of bio-available iron Natural heme iron from meat products Iron bound to natural hemoglobin or myoglobin Non- heme iron from plants, dairy and syntethic iron supplements Otherwise chemically bonded iron

3. Heme iron is 100 % natural, not syntethic. There are only two kinds of iron that we can use; heme iron from meat, poultry or fish and non-heme iron from vegetables, dairy products or chemically bonded iron in the regular supplements. All regular supplements are syntethic. They feauture chemically bonded iron such as Ferrous Sulphate. Heme iron supplements are made with natural bovine hemoglobin .

4. There are two pathways for dietary iron. Heme iron, which is found in all meat products, is absorbed efficiently and neatly as a whole unit. The other kind is simply non-heme iron and has to be broken down in the gut before the iron can be absorbed. Most of the highly reactive free iron ions remains in the gut and cause side-effects such as constipation, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. The uptake of non-heme iron is also affected by other foods consumed. Heme iron in meat courses is the most important source of iron

5. Heme iron is natural for man and still is the best and most efficient way of absorbing the iron we all need to live and for our bodies to function properly. In a normal diet heme iron from meat products play a large role. The regular iron supplements today are syntethic and often produce gastro-intestinal side-effects which in many cases terminate the important therapy Heme iron uptake is five times more efficient than non-heme iron

6. In studies the incidence of side-effects with heme iron products is at placebo level. The mechanism of uptake for heme iron does not leave free iron ions in the gut that may cause disturbancies and are potentially carcinogenous. No known side effects, tolerance on placebo-level

7. Pure hemolyzed hemoglobin powder derivated from the food industry as raw material for iron substitution has been of interest in Sweden since the early seventies, as this is by far the best-tolerated and efficient form of iron. Over the years the raw material has been developed and used in a number of products. Large scale usage since over 20 years

8. Bovine and porcine hemoglobin in food supplement tablets have been in use in Scandinavia since the 1970-ies with no serious side effects ever reported and no cases of poisoning in literally millions of users. Efficacy is good and there is an extremely good record of tolerance. No serious side effects or cases of poisoning ever reported

9. Unlike non-heme iron, absorption is not affected by other chelating components of the diet such as phytates, tannates and phosphate. Heme iron will always be absorbed - in all clinical situations. Heme iron is absorbed from the beginning of the intestine, which means it will work also for patients, who have had gut surgery Heme iron will always be absorbed, in any clinical situation

10. Heme iron normally only forms a part of daily dietary intake, but is more readily absorbed than non-heme iron. Unlike non-heme iron, absorption is not affected by other components of the diet. Other food, drink or medication will not affect uptake

11. The uptake and tolerance of heme iron will not change even over a longer time period. This is good news for the chronics, since non-heme iron will usually give problems with uptake sooner or later, which means another form of therapy must be considered. Efficacy and tolerance over time

12. There is a large number of chronics in various diseases with anaemia, These are for instance Chronic kidney disease, Inflammatory bowel disease or Coronary heart disease. Chronics usually receive regular syntethic oral non-heme tablets in high doses until treatment fails due to side-effects. The remaining alternative is very expensive and inconvenient intravenous iron. There are potential risks with repeated iron injections over a longer perod of time: overdosing and increased oxidative stress Heme iron can be taken over long time, ideal for chronics

13. The OptiFer® series of iron food supplements are safe, efficient and very well tolerated, which is crucial for therapy success. They give an optimal dose and can be used over longer periods with no change in efficacy and tolerance. OptiFer® products compete favorably with the regular synthetic supplements. SOLUTION

14. Swedish company FerroCare / MediTec has a strong commitment to reach people suffering from iron deficiency, but have problems with existing supplements.

15. OptiFer ® tablets are based on natural bovine heme iron and will safely and efficiently keep iron counts at an optimal level www.ferrocare.se www.hemeiron.com www.ferrocare.se www.hemeiron.com