AboutBarbara Judge Expertise Outpatient pharmacy and general health. I have recently completed a Pharmceutical Care Certificate Program offered by Purdue University (Spring 1999 completion). I have personal experience dealing with terminally ill persons and their needs, as well as their families` needs. I graduated in 1984 from Pharmacy School and have been a Licensed Pharmacist since then. I have 18 years retail pharmacy experience. Prior to my pharmacy training I have 3 years hospital experience as a Nurse`s Aide.
Question QUESTION: Hallo,i was taking feric hydroxide polymaltose iron+Folic acid at age of 13 because i had iron deficiency.I took one chewing tablet everyday for six months.Each chewable tablet contained 357,00 mg ferric hydroxide polymaltose complex corresponds to 100,00mg Iron (III) and 0,350 mg folic acid.Do you believe tha this iron supplement inhibit absorption Zinc from my daily foods?? i read some study,which presents that iron supplments can interefere with Zinc at solutions(supplemental iron does let the absorption of zinc from foods??????).I was scared because i read the consequences of zinc deficiency to a teen boy even if it is mild or light. Thank you very much for your time. I will wait for your answer. Dimitris
P/S I was taking the iron tablet mostly at morning and sometimes a noon and before sleep
ANSWER: If taken within a short period of time iron and zinc can each reduce the absorption of the other compound. This can be avoided by taking them or eating the food 12 hours away from the supplement. Also, this does not completely block the absorption, it just reduces absorption, so you are getting some of the dose of both, not all of the dose. If you are under a doctor's care this should be monitored. If you were on this as a child it should have been monitored then.
Thanks
Barb Judge
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QUESTION: So when i was taking my supplement at 8 o'clock before go to school and at afternoon i was eating oysters then the zinc from oysters was not absorbed??
p/s i had low body iron ferritine status
Answer Without actually drawing blood levels it would be impossible to know exactly how much your iron supplement would effect the absorption of zinc from any specific food. You would have to eat the food without the supplement, have blood drawn to see how much zinc is absorbed, then repeat this after taking your supplement. There is no information currently available about any one specific food.
