Why is iron important?
Your body needs the right amount of iron
- Iron is an essential nutrient for your body, sourced from food
- Iron assists your red blood cells to carry oxygen around your body
- Iron is also involved in many other functions in the body
- Sometimes your body’s demand for iron can exceed supply
- This can lead to iron deficiency, the most common nutrient deficiency worldwide
Buy Maltofer now or in store from your pharmacy
Not all iron therapies are the same!
To treat iron deficiency 100 to 210mg of elemental iron is recommended each day*.
Maltofer Tablets & Syrup are approved for the treatment of iron deficiency and provide 100mg of elemental iron per dose.
However, other common multivitamin and mineral supplements only contain 5 to 25mg of elemental iron. They should not be used to treat iron deficiency, as they do not contain enough elemental iron.
*Therapeutic Guidelines: Gastrointestinal. Version 6, 2016. Accessed October 2024.
Do you have heavy periods?
Having heavy periods can affect your iron levels.
- Do you pass clots larger than a 50 cent coin?
- Have to change your pad/ tampon every hour?
- Get up most nights to change your pad/tampon?
- Put a towel in your bed or use maternity pads at night?
- Bleed through clothing?
- Have periods that last more than 8 days?
If this sounds like you, ask your doctor or nurse if getting your iron levels checked is right for you.
Symptoms of iron deficiency
If you are experiencing some of these symptoms, talk to your healthcare provider
Are you really getting enough iron?
47% of female vegan/vegetarians don’t meet their daily iron needs
Not all iron is created equal
-
HAEM iron
Meat, poultry and seafood
-
NON-HAEM iron
Absorbed less easily than HAEM iron
Bread, cereals, beans & lentils, eggs, nuts,
seeds, fruit and vegetables
Absorbable iron comparison
Dietary iron actually absorbed
Sourced from: World Iron Awareness Week. Thousands of New Zealanders Don’t Get Enough Iron. Beef + Lamb NZ. July 2021. www.ironweek.co.nz/product-page/thousands-of-nzers