Product Overview
Doctor’s Best High Absorption Iron gives 27 mg of iron in each tablet, as Ferrochel — a branded form of ferrous bisglycinate chelate, iron bound to the amino acid glycine. There are 120 tablets to the bottle, four months at one a day.
The label shows 27 mg as 150% of the Daily Value for adults and 100% for pregnant and lactating women. It describes the tablet as “gentle on the stomach” and 100% chelated, and states non-GMO, gluten free, soy free and vegan. Made for Doctor’s Best, Inc. of Tustin, California, USA.
Key Benefits
- Haemoglobin — iron is the core of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in red blood cells.
- Red blood cell formation — iron contributes to the normal formation of red blood cells.
- Tiredness — iron contributes to the reduction of tiredness and to normal cognitive function, in people who are actually short of it.
Why Bisglycinate?
Iron tablets are known for upsetting the stomach and causing constipation. Several studies, including some in pregnancy, found ferrous bisglycinate worked as well as ferrous sulfate at a lower dose, with fewer stomach complaints. The studies are small, and bisglycinate costs more — but if ordinary iron tablets have disagreed with you, it is a reasonable thing to try.
Get Tested First
- Anaemia is not always iron deficiency. In Bangladesh, thalassaemia trait is common. It causes small, pale red cells that look like iron deficiency on a basic blood count, but iron does not correct it — and extra iron can build up.
- Iron overload (haemochromatosis) — iron tablets are harmful. Ask your doctor.
- Men, and women after menopause, found low in iron need a doctor to find the cause. It can be slow bleeding from the gut.
What the Listing Claims, and What Is Known
- Anaemia — the listing says it corrects iron-deficiency anaemia and restores iron quickly. Iron does correct iron deficiency, but anaemia needs a diagnosis, a dose your doctor sets and a follow-up blood test.
- Pregnancy outcomes — the listing says it protects against premature birth and low birth weight. Iron in pregnancy matters, and should be prescribed and monitored by your doctor; a shop page cannot promise outcomes.
- Immunity — iron contributes to normal immune function. Extra iron does not mean fewer infections in someone who is not deficient.
- Hair, skin and nails — iron helps only if hair loss or brittle nails come from low iron.
- Restless legs — low iron is linked with restless legs, and doctors check ferritin for it. Restless legs need a doctor’s assessment.
- Fewer side effects — bisglycinate tends to be gentler, but constipation, nausea and dark stools can still happen.
Keep Away From Children — Iron Poisoning
The label warning: accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control centre immediately.
- Store the bottle high up or locked away, with the cap closed.
- If a child swallows any, go to hospital immediately, even if the child seems well.
Not for Children, Pregnancy or Breastfeeding
This is formulated for adults. Keep it out of reach of children — capsules and softgels are a choking hazard, and iron-containing supplements in particular are a serious poisoning risk for a small child.
If you are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding, do not take it without medical advice. Several herbs and several vitamins that are harmless to an adult are not safe in pregnancy, and dose limits are different.
Key Features
- 27 mg iron as Ferrochel (ferrous bisglycinate chelate) per tablet
- 120 tablets — four months at one a day
- Vegan, non-GMO, gluten free, soy free, as stated on the label
Ingredients / Specifications
Per tablet (from the label photo): iron (from Ferrochel, ferrous bisglycinate chelate) 27 mg — 150% of the Daily Value for adults, 100% for pregnant and lactating women.
Other ingredients: microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, coating (purified water, hypromellose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, glycerin), magnesium stearate (vegetable source), silicon dioxide.
How to Use
- The label directions: take 1 tablet daily with food, or as recommended by a nutritionally informed physician.
- Keep tea, coffee, milk, calcium tablets and antacids at least 2 hours away. They reduce iron absorption.
- Keep it 4 hours apart from thyroid medicine, and 2 to 4 hours apart from antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin or doxycycline.
- If you are taking it for low iron, ask your doctor to recheck your blood after two to three months.
Who Is It Suitable For?
Adults who are low in iron — most often women with heavy periods, vegetarians and people who have lost blood — ideally confirmed by a blood test.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding — iron is often advised in pregnancy, but take it at the dose your doctor sets, and do not add it on top of a prenatal vitamin that already contains iron without asking.
- Stomach ulcers or inflammatory bowel disease — ask your doctor.
- Common side effects: constipation, nausea and dark stools.
Why Choose Doctor’s Best High Absorption Iron?
A well-studied, gentle form of iron at a sensible dose, in a vegan tablet that lasts four months. A good option for people who have found ordinary iron tablets hard on the stomach.
This Is a Supplement, Not a Medicine
A dietary supplement is a food product. It is not a medicine, it has not been through the testing a medicine goes through, and it does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Supplement labels use health language — “supports”, “helps maintain”, “promotes” — precisely because they are not permitted to claim treatment. Read them that way. If a listing anywhere promises that a capsule will fix a medical condition, that promise is not one the product can keep.
What a supplement can honestly do is fill a gap in your diet. That is worth something, and it is a smaller thing than most packaging implies.
Talk to a Doctor First
Speak to a doctor or pharmacist before you start, particularly if you:
- take any prescribed medicine — supplements interfere with medicines more often than people expect
- are being treated for a heart, liver, kidney, thyroid or blood condition
- have diabetes
- are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding
- have surgery or a dental procedure coming up
Never stop or reduce a prescribed medicine in order to take a supplement instead. That is the single most dangerous thing anyone does with a product like this, and it is what the marketing language quietly invites.
About the Imported Pack
This is an imported product. The label, the dose instructions and the ingredient panel are the ones printed for the market it was made for, and the wording may differ from a locally packaged version.
Follow the dose printed on the pack itself — it is the authority on its own contents — and check the expiry date when it arrives. If anything on the label is unclear, message us before you take it and we will read it to you.
Storage
- Keep the container tightly closed, somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sunlight.
- Do not store it in a bathroom. Heat and humidity break supplements down faster than anything else, and a Dhaka bathroom is the worst place in the house for them.
- Leave the desiccant sachet in the bottle. It is there to keep moisture out, not by mistake.
- Softgels and fish oils are best kept in a fridge in hot weather — they go rancid otherwise.
- Keep it out of reach of children.
- Do not use it after the expiry date, and throw it away if the capsules smell strongly off, have stuck together or changed colour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why have my stools turned black?
That is normal with iron and harmless. Black, tarry stools with stomach pain, weakness or dizziness need a doctor.
I feel tired all the time. Should I take iron?
Only if a blood test shows you are low in iron. Tiredness has many causes, and iron you do not need is not harmless.
Can I take it with tea?
Not at the same time. Tea and coffee sharply reduce iron absorption. Keep them at least two hours apart.
What if I miss a day?
Take the next dose as normal. Do not take two to catch up.
How do I check the pack is in date?
The expiry date is printed on the bottle or the base of the box. Check it as soon as your order arrives. If it is unreadable or close to expiry, message us and we will replace it.
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