Vitamins and supplements

Some supplements have different compounds of the same element. For example iron, calcium, and magnesium may come in different compounds. Vitamin D also comes in different strengths. These differences may not be easy to understand.

Why does this matter? We will use iron as an example. A large amount of iron can be toxic and cause harm. Some bottles of iron may say the strength is 325 mg of iron. The label on the back of the bottle may say 325 mg iron. But a ferrous sulfate iron tablet only has 65 mg of actual iron. Some bottles of iron may just say 65 mg of iron.

Why is there a difference? This has to do with the amount of elemental iron in the tablet. The label may list the iron compound rather than total amount of iron. Examples of iron compounds are Ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, and ferrous fumarate. The ferrous gluconate compound would only have 35 mg in a 300 mg tablet for example. That is close to half as much iron!

How can you choose the right supplement? A supplement is only needed when you are not getting enough of a vitamin or element in your food. The best way to tell if you need a supplement is if your doctor does a blood test and tells you. You can ask your doctor which kind of supplement you need. You should also ask how much to take a day. Lastly, be careful when using multivitamins to check what is included in them.

-Class of 2021 APPE Student