Your need for iron nutrition changes over time based on physical changes in your body. If you take a vitamin supplement with iron, you should review your needs periodically and adjust your medication. Too little or too much iron can disrupt the balance that supports the cardiopulmonary, cardiovascular and immune systems.
Step 1
Determine how much iron you want from a vitamin supplement. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's recommended daily allowances: ages 7 to 12 months, 11 mg; 1 to 3 years, 7 mg; 4 to 8 years, 10 mg; 9 to 13 years and 51+ years, 8 mg. At ages 14 to 18 years, boys need 11 mg and girls need 15; at ages 19 to 50 years, men need 8 mg and women need 18. Pregnant women of any age require 27 mg of iron per day.
Step 2
Learn how much iron is too much. Children ages 17 months to 13 years should ingest no more than 40 mg of iron per day. For all individuals 14 and over, the tolerable upper intake level is 45 mg per day.
Step 3
Determine which other nutrients you want in multivitamins with iron. Vitamins A, B, C, D and E are commonly paired with calcium, magnesium and zinc. Mega formulas have a longer list of minerals and bioflavonoids.
Step 4
Select the supplement form you'll feel comfortable taking every day. These include: tablets, capsules, chewables, soft gel, powder and liquid preparations.
Step 5
Select the iron-enriched formula based on your age, gender and other health criteria. For instance, choose from multivitamins with iron for children, men, women, pregnant women or older individuals.
Step 6
Select other preferences available in multivitamins with iron, such as organic, kosher, sugar content, potency in milligrams and doses per container.
Step 7
Compare the supplement facts on different iron-enriched products until you find the ones that match your vitamin and iron needs.
Tips and Warnings
- Consider the amount of iron-enriched foods you get from your usual diet and subtract it from the recommended daily allowance to get the amount you'll need from a vitamin supplement. Supplement facts are required by law to be printed on product labels of nutritional supplements. Iron will be listed as the percentage of the daily value recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
- If you are pregnant, get a doctor's advice before taking any vitamin supplements. You may not want to buy liquid multivitamins with iron, a common formula for children. The makers of ChildLife products claim that the mineral destabilizes the other nutrients in the iron-enriched compound.
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