Yaeyama Chlorella is an abundant source of nutritional iron, containing nearly 50 times the amounts found in beef or spinach. Because Chlorella is a wholefood it has excellent nutritional uptake, unlike many commercial supplements that have questionable efficacy and can cause unpleasant side-effects. In addition, it is well established that iron needs to be ingested with amino acids to become available to the body. Yaeyama Chlorella contains the complete set of amino acids, as well as a plethora of nutrients to support a healthy lifestyle.

Iron, among the most abundant metals on Earth, is crucial to just about all living things and to normal human physiology. Iron is an inherent component of many proteins and enzymes that maintain good health. In humans, iron is an essential element of proteins required for the transportation of oxygen. It is also essential to help regulate cell growth and differentiation. Iron deficiency means cells receive limited amounts of oxygen which can result in feelings of fatigue, poor overall physical performance and diminished immunity.

Iron deficiency develops gradually and the starting point is a negative iron balance, where the intake of iron does not match up with the daily need for iron in the diet. This imbalance sets off a depletion of iron that has been stored while the blood haemoglobin level, a marker for iron status, remains normal. Iron deficiency anemia sets in at the advanced stage of iron depletion. This happens when iron stores have been overly drawn upon and blood levels of iron are not sufficient to meet the daily needs. With iron deficiency anemia, blood haemoglobin levels are below normal.

Signs of iron deficiency anemia include:

• feeling tired and weak
• glossitis (an inflamed tongue)
• decreased immune function, which increases susceptibility to infection
• difficulty maintaining body temperature
• slow cognitive and social development during childhood
• decreased work and school performance

Women are at particular risk from iron deficiency due to the depletion during menstruation. Pregnancy also put demands on the body's requirement for iron, and supplementation is advised for those who may not be getting enough.

Vegetarians and vegans may also struggle to maintain sufficient levels, unless they are careful to maintain a balanced diet. Chlorella may be a useful vegan iron supplement as it also contains Vitamin B12 and Omega fatty acids that can be hard to gain through a vegetable diet.

Who may need extra iron to prevent a deficiency?

Three groups of people are most likely to benefit from iron supplements: people who do not absorb iron normally, those people with a greater need for iron and those who for some reason tend to lose more iron. These types of people typically include:

• premature and low birth weight babies
• older infants and toddlers
• teenage girls
• pregnant women
• women of childbearing age, especially those with heavy menstrual losses
• people with renal failure, especially those undergoing routine dialysis
• people with gastrointestinal disorders who do not absorb iron normally

Those individuals with kidney failure, especially those being treated with dialysis, are at high risk for developing iron deficiency anemia. This is because their kidneys cannot create sufficient amounts of erythropoietin, a hormone needed to make red blood cells. Both iron and erythropoietin can be lost during kidney dialysis. People who regularly have dialysis treatments commonly need a boost of iron and synthetic erythropoietin to prevent iron deficiency.

Vitamin A helps transport iron from its storage sites so if you are deficient in vitamin A this can impair the body’s ability to used stored iron. This can create an apparent iron deficiency because hemoglobin levels are low even though the body can maintain normal amounts of stored iron . This is more common in developing countries where vitamin A deficiencies are more widespread.

Chronic malabsorption can contribute to iron depletion and deficiency by limiting dietary iron absorption or by contributing to intestinal blood loss. Most iron is absorbed in the small intestines. Gastrointestinal disorders that result in inflammation of the small intestine may result in diarrhea, poor absorption of dietary iron, and iron depletion.

The table below shows recommended iron intake:

Typically doctors prescribe iron supplement tablets to treat Anemia and iron deficiencies, but being composed of substances not easily absorbed by the body these can have unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, dark colored stools, and/or abdominal distress. Chlorella as a wholefood is an excellent way to naturally supplement iron efficiently, and without these uncomfortable side-effects.

Comparison of Food Iron Sources with Chlorella

The table below shows clearly how rich a food source of iron Yaeyama Chlorella is:

The body cannot benefit directly from the iron in soil. The plant go-between is necessary to transform this iron for nutritional use. Many people taking iron in a form such as tablets and fortified cereals that skip this transformation process. Synthetic vitamins and minerals are not substances that come through the soil and are not fully available to the body. The iron in Chlorella will help rejuvenate toxic thyroids by bringing oxygen to this gland.

Chlorella is an excellent source of iron, containing a bioavailable vegetarian dose that won't cause unpleasant side-effects like most commercially available supplement tablets that use elementary iron, or forms that cannot be absorbed easily by the body.

Important Note: Regulation of iron uptake is impaired in some people as a result of a genetic defect that maps to the HLA-H gene region on chromosome 6. In these people, excessive iron intake can result in iron overload disorders, such as hemochromatosis. Many people have a genetic susceptibility to iron overload without realizing it or being aware of a family history of the problem. For this reason, it is advised that people do not take iron supplements unless they suffer from iron deficiency and have consulted a doctor. Hemochromatosis is estimated to cause disease in between 0.3 and 0.8% of Caucasians.

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