These symptoms could be a sign that you are iron deficient. You may be surprised to learn that iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional deficiency in the world. It is estimated that two billion people are anemic, many due to iron deficiency.

Who is at Risk?
Why is iron deficiency such a worldwide problem? As it turns out many health conditions can seriously deplete iron levels. Iron deficiency is especially prevalent amongst menstruating women or women who have excessive blood loss from heavy periods, pregnant and postpartum women, people with conditions that cause internal bleeding, vegans and vegetarians, children, athletes, and the elderly.

In addition, anyone having intestinal health issues such as leaky gut, ulcerative colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Celiac disease or ulcers are especially vulnerable to low iron levels because of a compromised ability to absorb adequate iron from their diet.

Rheumatoid arthritis and anemia are connected. RA can be associated with different types of anemia, including anemia of chronic inflammation and iron deficiency anemia. When you have an RA flare-up, the immune response causes inflammation in the joints and other tissues. Chronic inflammation can lower the production of red blood cells in your bone marrow. This can lead to the release of certain proteins that affect how the body uses iron.

What Causes Iron Deficiency?
Deficiency occurs when the body doesn’t have enough of these vital minerals. Iron is essential in order to make hemoglobin, which is a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen to your body’s organs and tissues and transports carbon dioxide from your organs and tissues back to your lungs.

When iron intake is chronically low, stores can become depleted, decreasing hemoglobin levels and leading to abnormally low levels of red blood cells. If your body doesn’t have enough hemoglobin, your tissues and muscles become starved of oxygen and are unable to function effectively.

There are two forms of dietary iron: heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron is the type of iron that comes from animal proteins such as red meat, pork, poultry and seafood. Non-heme iron, by contrast, is found in plant-based foods like grains, beans, dark green leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.

Heme iron is typically absorbed at a rate of 7-35 percent, while non-heme iron is typically absorbed at a rate of 2-20 percent. You can see that even though there is better overall absorption of heme iron, there is also a fairly large range of absorption regardless of the type of iron involved.

If the body requires the ability to make more blood or if there is an excessive loss of blood, then there is a greater demand for iron. In the case of intestinal disorders, there is an impaired ability to efficiently absorb nutrients, including iron from food as well as increased risk from gastrointestinal blood loss. Iron deficiency is always a concern for vegan and vegetarians because of their limited dietary choices and lack of heme-producing protein sources.

The Problem with Iron Supplements
If you are diagnosed with iron deficiency, it is usually recommended to take an iron supplement. Beware of taking the inorganic form of iron know as ferrous sulfate. Ferrous sulfate is also found in many multivitamins, including children’s multivitamins. It is a relatively toxic, inorganic metal that is difficult to absorb. In addition, it can lead to significant side effects which may include constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain, cramps, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, dizziness and fainting, fast heartbeat, and temporary staining of the teeth.

A New Approach to Safely and Efficiently Increase Iron Levels Naturally

Iron Catch, an all-natural supplement from Italy, is an exciting new product that has recently arrived on the scene. Instead of relying on an inorganic iron product to increase iron levels or trying to increase iron levels with other forms of iron supplementation, Iron Catch, provides a novel and effective way to significantly increase iron levels naturally, safely and quickly.

Iron Catch is the first iron-free solution for iron deficiency. It has been proven to rapidly produce significant results within as little as 30 days.¹ In fact, in as little as just one week, patients have improved their energy and vitality. This is great news especially for athletes taking part in endurance sport as well as vegetarians, who are known to be at risk from low iron levels.

Iron Catch is a food supplement with a patented formulation that elevates the iron levels by increasing the absorption of dietary iron by an amazing 3-5 times. Instead of supplementing with an iron pill, Iron Catch’s unique formula is an iron-free alternative that can profoundly increase iron absorption from everyday food consumption with no adverse reactions.

Unlike inorganic iron supplements, Iron Catch has no side effects and is safe for people of all ages. There is no risk of toxic iron overload, which can occur from taking many other kinds of iron supplements. Studies have shown impressive results in people who have iron deficiency and chronic anemia due to Inflammatory Bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.²

Iron Catch is the world’s first to solve the iron-deficiency problem by enhancing the absorption of iron from our heme and non-heme dietary choices.

This patented formula is made from oligosaccharides of specific hydrolyzed fish cartilage, which enhances rapid iron absorption. The formula also includes additional nutrients to support efficient iron absorption demonstrated by in-vitro studies on Caco-2 cells². They include vitamin C, zinc, copper, vitamin E, and folic acid.

It is recommended to take one tablet on an empty stomach before a main meal. For more rapid results, take two tablets on an empty stomach before a main meal daily for the first month and then one tablet daily for at least another two months before a main meal.

In a world where there are so many health issues that can lead to a serious loss of life-enhancing iron, it is exciting to know that there is an all-natural food supplement that offers a proven solution. The best news of all is that Iron Catch restores healthy levels of iron, rapidly, effectively, and safely.

Iron Catch truly earns its reputation as the first iron-free solution for iron deficiency!

References

1. Minerva Med. 2006 Oct;97(5):385-90. Rondanelli M, Opizzi A, Andreoni L, Trotti R. Effect of treatment with a food supplement (containing selected sea fish cartilage, vitamin C, vitamin E, folic acid, zinc, copper) in women with iron deficiency: double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
2. World J Gastroenterol 2007 March 14:13(10): 1575-1578 Andrea Belluzzi, Giulia Roda, Francesca Tonon, Antonio Soleti, Alessandra Caponi, Anna Tuci, Aldo Roda, Enrico Roda. (A new iron free treatment with oral fish cartilage polysaccharide for iron deficiency chronic anemia in inflammatory bowel disease: A pilot study

For more information or to purchase Iron Catch visit their website

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According to the National Institute of Health, in the United States, celiac disease affects an estimated two million individuals, or one in 133 people and occurs twice as often in females. The only treatment is a gluten-free diet. This disorder can start at any age when the diet first includes gluten.

With celiac disease, eating gluten triggers an immune response in your small intestine that eventually leads to inflammation and damage of the small intestine’s lining. With this damage, food is not absorbed properly, called malabsorption. With malabsorption, vital nutrients cannot be delivered to the brain, nervous system, bone, liver and other organs.

• Due to malabsorption, children with celiac disease can experience growth and developmental problems. There is no cure for celiac disease. Following a strict gluten-free diet helps management of symptoms. The common symptoms associated with celiac disease include the following, however, some people may have no symptoms.
• Abdominal pain (especially after eating)
• Bloating
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Dermatitis
• Osteoporosis
• Dental defects

Oral Manifestation of Celiac Disease

Celiac disease has particular signs that show up orally, and dentists can have an initial important role in recognizing and identifying it in people who may not know they have the disorder. It’s estimated 90 percent of individuals in North America remain undiagnosed. Early referral to a gastroenterologist and treatment can help prevent complications of this gluten intolerance condition.

If celiac disease appears before age seven, the outer surface of the teeth (enamel) can have an abnormal appearance. The permanent teeth will show the following defects:

• Delayed eruption of teeth
• Cream, yellow or brown spots on the surface
• Rough surface with grooves and shallow pits
• Shape of tooth may be dramatically changed

These same oral symptoms can be caused by other dental conditions. In fact, dentists may diagnose the abnormal appearance of colored spots enamel to a condition caused by too much fluoride or that the mother took the antibiotic tetracycline during pregnancy.

Other oral related conditions of celiac disease include:

• Recurring mouth ulcers (canker sores also known as aphthous ulcers)
• Dry mouth
• Red, smooth, shiny tongue (atrophic glossitis)
• Squamous cell carcinoma (cancer of the pharynx and mouth)

Treatment of Oral Manifestations of Celiac Disease

Unfortunately, tooth defects that result from celiac disease are permanent and don’t improve with a gluten-free diet. However, there are treatments that your dentist can provide to help improve esthetics. These include:

• Tooth bonding to improve slight defects
• Veneers to improve the whole front surface of the tooth
• Crowns for teeth that are damaged throughout

Veneers and crowns are cosmetic solutions for older children and adults, while tooth bonding can also help with children’s teeth.

For dry mouth, avoid toothpaste with sodium lauryl sulfate. This harsh detergent can dry the tissues and exacerbate mouth sores. Mouthwash with alcohol also tends to worsen dry mouth.

For canker sores, it’s reported taking 500 mg of the amino acid L Lysine helps to reduce the occurrence and hasten healing.

Proper oral hygiene is crucial towards maintaining oral health, especially if you notice dry mouth. Harmful bacteria thrive in a dry oral environment. To keep the bacteria from causing gum disease, practice proper oral hygiene on a daily bases. Of course, regular dental check ups are important to detect early potential problems.

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Vitamin B12 Coenzymes
Vitamin B12 has two active coenzyme forms, methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin. In recent years, methylcobalamin has frequently replaced cyanocobalamin (regular vitamin B12) in dietary supplements as a result of the position taken that methylcobalamin is superior since it is an active form of B12. However, this position doesn’t take adenosylcobalamin into account. This is problematic since the functions of these two coenzymes and their metabolic fates are quite different:

Consequently, supplementation with methylcobalamin exclusively does not really address the functions of adenosylcobalamin—which are at least as important as those of methylcobalamin. For example, methylcobalamin doesn’t support energy production, while adenosylcobalamin does. Because of these differences, a recent article published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated, “Thus, it is prudent to use cyanocobalamin wherever required instead of methylcobalamin alone in order to address both the neurological and haematopoietic pathways.”³

The fact is cyanocobalamin can be converted into both methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin in the body. As a result, it can be argued that it may have an advantage over supplementation with methylcobalamin alone. Nor is there any concern that cyanocobalamin will not convert to methylcobalamin. According to a medical textbook, “There is no disease described in the human body where conversion of inactive cobalamin to active methylcobalamin is impaired. So there is absolutely no necessity to use methylcobalamin in place of cobalamin.”⁴

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 deficiency is uncommon in healthy individuals, although this nutrient does need some help being absorbed—whether from food or supplements. This help comes in the form of a glycoprotein secreted from the stomach called intrinsic factor (IF). The intestinal absorption of B12 is dependent upon its binding with IF. While most people produce sufficient IF, a condition known as atrophic gastritis, affecting 10–30 percent of people over 60 years of age,⁵ can cause intrinsic factor deficiency, which in turn can cause B12 deficiency due to malabsorption. ⁶ In addition, pernicious anemia, present in approximately 2 percent of individuals over 60 years of age,⁷ is the end stage of autoimmune inflammation of the stomach, causing decreased secretion of acid.

Furthermore, individuals with decreased stomach acid production may experience an overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria in the stomach, which can interfere with vitamin B12 absorption⁸ —and approximately 30 percent of the elderly have low secretion of stomach acid.⁹ Furthermore, diminished gastric function can result in bacterial overgrowth of H. pylori, which can significantly decrease vitamin B12 levels in serum, plasma, and gastric fluids.¹⁰

Other people who are at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency include individuals:¹¹

• who have had bariatric surgery,
• with malabsorption syndromes such as celiac disease and tropical sprue,
• with pancreatic insufficiency,
• who are alcoholics,
• with AIDS,
• who have used acid-reducing drugs long-term,
• and who are vegetarian.

In fact, a review of studies just published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition¹² has confirmed that vegetarians are particularly prone to vitamin B12 deficiency. Based upon age group, the deficiency prevalence was:

• 45 percent for infants,
• 0 to 33.3 percent for children and adolescents,
• 17 to 39 percent for pregnant women (dependent on the trimester),
• 0 to 86.5 percent for adults and the elderly.

The reviewed studies documented relatively high deficiency prevalence among vegetarians, especially vegans who do not ingest vitamin B12 supplements. The authors recommended, “Vegetarians, especially vegans, should give strong consideration to the use of vitamin B12 supplements to ensure adequate vitamin B12 intake.”

Sublingual Vitamin B12
In the early 1980s, Dr. Alfred F. Libby and his staff of researchers instituted a nutritional program of treating drug addicts, which Dr. Libby previously developed at a Southern California state hospital. Part of the program required therapeutic doses of vitamin B12. The problem was that some of these individuals may have had gastric issues, which precluded the use of a standard vitamin B12 tablet or capsule, and there were psychological contraindications to administering injections of B12 to addicts who normally used a syringe to inject heroin. Consequently, Dr. Libby and nutritional biochemists set about developing a sublingual delivery form which would bypass the IF issue by being absorbed directly under the tongue. Dr. Libby then tested the sublingual B12 on a group of patients, and included a control group. The results were that blood serum levels of vitamin B12 increased 90 percent in those patients supplemented with the sublingual B12. The control group experienced an average B12 decrease of 19 percent. From these results it was evident that B12 can be readily absorbed via the sublingual plexus and buccal cavity directly into the bloodstream.¹³

There are also other individuals in whom a standard vitamin B12 tablet or capsule is not the delivery method of choice. This includes some people with gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhea, vomiting, or who have difficulty swallowing standard oral tablets/capsules. This led researchers to conduct a study¹⁴ examining the effectiveness of sublingual vitamin B12 in 18 people (age range 23–80) with vitamin B12 deficiency. All patients were given sublingual lozenges of 1000 mcg cyanocobalamin twice daily for 7–12 days, after informed consent was obtained. The results showed that sublingual vitamin B12 normalized serum cobalamin concentration in all patients, with concentrations increasing as much as fourfold. A similar human study¹⁵ also found that sublingual vitamin B12 increase cobalamin concentrations by about three-fold.

Another study¹⁶ examined the use of sublingual vitamin B12 on subjects who ate a raw-food, vegan diet, many of whom had urinary markers of low vitamin B12 levels. After receiving treatment with vitamin B12 lozenges, there was a significant improvement in urinary markers suggesting that the sublingual vitamin B12 was effective in improving vitamin B12 levels. The authors of the study recommended that those eating a raw-food, vegan diet supplement with a vitamin B12 lozenge.

Conclusion
The use of methylcobalamin alone will not necessarily provide the benefits of adenosylcobalamin, so it is important to use cyanocobalamin to assure an adequate conversion into both coenzymes. Various gastrointestinal disorders can increase the risk of vitamin B12, and the sublingual delivery form can provide an effective means of supplementation in these instances.

References:

1. Shane B. Folic acid, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6. In: Stipanuk M, ed. Biochemical and Physiological Aspects of Human Nutrition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co.; 2000:483–518.
2. Cooper BA, Rosenblatt DS. Inherited defects of vitamin B12 metabolism. Annu Rev Nutr. 1987;7:291–320.
3. Thakkar K, Billa G. Treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency–Methylcobalamine? Cyancobalamine? hydroxocobalamin?—clearing the confusion. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2015;69:1–2.
4. Bhasker Y. Chapter 139: Methylcobalamin Versus Cyanocobalamin. In Medicine Update, Volume 23. Mumbai:The Association of Physicians of India;2013:635–7.
5. Baik HW, Russell RM. Vitamin B12 deficiency in the elderly. Annu Rev Nutr. 1999;19:357–77.
6. Neumann WL, Coss E, Rugge M, Genta RM. Autoimmune atrophic gastritis–pathogenesis, pathology and management. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013;10(9):529–41.
7. Carmel R. Megaloblastic anemias. Curr Opin Hematol. 1994;1(2):107–12.
8. Shane B. Folic acid, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6. In: Stipanuk M, ed. Biochemical and Physiological Aspects of Human Nutrition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co.; 2000:483-518.
9. Champagne ET. Low gastric hydrochloric acid secretion and mineral bioavailability. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1989;249:173–84.
10. Lahner E, Persechino S, Annibale B. Micronutrients (Other than iron) and Helicobacter pylori infection: a systematic review. Helicobacter. 2012;17(1):1–15.
11. Carmel R. Cobalamin (Vitamin B-12). In: Shils ME, Shike M, Ross AC, Caballero B, Cousins RJ, eds. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006:482–97.
12. Pawlak R, Lester SE, Babatunde T. The prevalence of cobalamin deficiency among vegetarians assessed by serum vitamin B12: a review of literature. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2014 May;68:541–8.
13. Libby AF, Starling CR, Josefson FH, Ward SA. The Junk Food Connection: A Study Reveals Alcohol and Drug Life Styles Adversely Affect Metabolism and Behavior. Orthomolecular Psychiatry 1982;11(2):116–27.
14. Delpre G. Sublingual therapy for cobalamin deficiency as an alternative to oral and parenteral cobalamin supplementation. Lancet. 1999;354:740–50.
15. Sharabi A, Cohen E, Sulkes J, Garty M. Replacement therapy for vitamin B12 deficiency: comparison between the sublingual and oral route. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2003 Dec;56(6):635–8.
16. Donaldson MS. Metabolic vitamin B12 status on a mostly raw vegan diet with follow-up using tablets, nutritional yeast, or probiotic supplements. Ann Nutr Metab. 2000;44(5-6):229–34.

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