What happens when the brain is deprived of iron?
A study showed that children with an iron deficiency had a 67% greater risk of developing ADHD. A low amount of iron is not good for brain health. Iron is important in its role in hemoglobin in the blood and transporting oxygen to the neuron.
Iron is an important mineral that plays a role in hundreds of enzymes. It is essential to initiate hundreds of cellular activities and is required for ATP, which is what provides energy to the cell. More importantly, iron plays an important role in brain health.
Not enough iron impairs the brain’s ability to regulate important neurotransmitters. Iron deficiencies impair dopamine regulation as well as serotonin regulation and can contribute to:
- Loss of energy
- Lack of concentration
- Fatigue
- Depression, and
- Anxiety
Since dopamine signaling is important for attention and is often disrupted in individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nutritional deficiencies of iron can exacerbate symptoms.
A common nutritional supplement in many integrative practices is supplementing with iron. There are many different forms of iron and some are more bioavailable than others. Iron salts like iron oxide and elemental iron like carbonyl are poorly absorbed and oftentimes will cause gastrointestinal issues. Other forms such as chelated forms provide iron bonded to an amino acid and the body absorbs the amino acid and pulls the iron along for the ride.
MZI provides iron in chelated form and supports attention, focus, mood, and overall well-being.
One issue to be cautious of is that if you do not have an iron deficiency, then it is not necessary to take too many supplements. There are complications with having too much iron as well. That is why the dose of iron in MZI is relatively low…enough to prevent deficiencies, but also not too much to cause problems. MZI should not be taken with other nutritional supplements containing iron.
