The benefits of Heme Iron
What is Heme-Iron? What is the difference between heme-iron and non heme iron ?
Iron is a mineral and an important part of a healthy diet. It is indispensable for the transport of oxygen via the blood to the cells. There are 2 ways to add iron to your diet, through animal products such as meat, poultry and fish. Iron from animal products is heme-iron. Heme-iron is best absorbed by the body. Despite the fact that animal products contain heme iron, only 40-45% of the total iron content consists of heme iron, the other 55-60% of the animal iron consists of non-heme iron. This is good to keep in mind. When you see how many milligrams of iron it contains on a portion of meat, you now know that slightly less than half of this is heme iron and the rest consists of non heme iron.
Grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables such as spinach and peas also contain iron. However, iron from plants is more difficult to absorb. Iron from plants is non heme iron. You might expect dairy and eggs to contain heme iron, but this is not the case. Despite being animal products, these foods both contain non-heme iron. Vegetarians therefore only get non-heme iron, even if they supplement their diet with eggs and dairy.
People who eat meat ingest both heme iron and non heme iron through their diet.
The body absorbs heme iron and non heme iron in different ways.
It is not without reason that our ancestors had a strong preference for organ meats, which are full of heme iron which is more easily absorbed and therefore a great source of iron in the diet for people with and without hemochromatosis.
Non-heme iron, on the other hand, is much less well absorbed than heme iron. Particularly in people without hemochromatosis, non-heme iron is usually not a great source of iron in their diet.
The benefits of heme iron
The mineral heme iron is therefore better absorbed by the body, but it has allot more benefits:
- Improved transportation of oxygen Together with proteins, iron forms hemoglobin which ensures the transport of oxygen via the blood to the cells. If you are deficient in iron, you will easlier run out of breath
- Supplys the body with enrgie. Iron contributes to the production of energy in the cells, so a deficiency of iron can cause fatigue.
- A strong immune-system Give your immune system a boost, iron is indispensable for normal functioning of the immune system.
- Extra support during menstruation Women who lose a lot of blood during menstruation can suffer from iron deficiency. It is also important for pregnant women to receive enough iron.
- Reduce the feeling of beeing cold Heme iron has a major influence on thermoregulation. That is the ability to maintain your body temperature.
This is how you get enough Heme Iron
So enough benefits to him iron. Do you find it difficult to eat enough meat? And do you suffer from fatigue or are you quickly out of breath? Or do you not experience any complaints yet, but do you want to give your immune system a boost? Then beef liver capsules offer a solution. These contain a high dose of heme iron. This way you still get the recommended daily amount of heme iron without having to eat meat every day. In addition, these natural multivitamins also contain vitamins A, D, E and K, copper, zinc, selenium and are a source of folic acid. Read more about these natural multivitamins.