OptiFer Alpha Ingredients

If you are comparing iron supplements, the ingredient list is a good place to start. It tells you which form of iron you are getting and what else comes with it. OptiFer Alpha is a heme iron supplement licensed by Health Canada.

Read on to find out about the ingredients of OptiFer Alpha.

What Is OptiFer Alpha?

OptiFer Alpha is an iron supplement that provides heme iron. Heme iron is the form of iron found in meat, and your body absorbs it easily. These OptiFer iron pills come as tablets packaged in blister packs.

Health Canada has licensed OptiFer Alpha to help prevent iron deficiency, help treat iron deficiency anemia, and help support healthy red blood cell formation. Iron carries oxygen around your body through hemoglobin, a protein in your blood. When your iron runs low, you may notice fatigue, headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, or paleness.

OptiFer Alpha Ingredients: A Full Tablet Breakdown

The Medicinal Ingredient

Each tablet contains 11 mg of elemental iron as heme iron polypeptide. This iron comes from 185 mg of bovine hemoglobin powder, made from non-GMO natural bovine heme iron. It is the only active ingredient in the product, so the iron is from beef rather than from plants.

The Non-Medicinal Ingredients

Everything else in the tablet holds it together, protects it, or helps it move through manufacturing. The formula contains:

• Isomalt
• Microcrystalline Cellulose
• Croscarmellose Sodium
• Hypromellose
• Stearic Acid and Magnesium Salts of Fatty Acids
• Silicon Dioxide
• Iron Oxide

OptiFer Alpha is also gluten free and halal certified.

What Changed in the Reformulated Tablet

OptiFer Alpha’s ingredients list has been updated, and comparing the previous formula with the current one shows a few clear differences.

Five non-medicinal ingredients were removed: di-calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, modified starch, talc, and ethyl cellulose. There were three additions: isomalt, croscarmellose sodium, and hypromellose. The amount of microcrystalline cellulose dropped from 146.1 mg to 62.9 mg.

The iron source did not change. Both versions contain 185 mg of bovine hemoglobin powder, delivering 11 mg of elemental iron. What changed is the tablet around it. Total tablet weight fell from 666.3 mg to 450 mg, which makes the current tablet noticeably smaller.

Why Is Heme Iron Absorbed Differently?

Dietary iron comes in two forms. Heme iron comes from meat. Non-heme iron comes from plants and from traditional iron salts such as ferrous sulfate, fumarate, and gluconate.

Your body absorbs heme iron through its own pathway, using a receptor called HCP1. Non-heme iron has to be broken down and processed first, and that process is more easily blocked by other foods. Heme iron absorption is less affected by these dietary inhibitors, so you don’t have to give up your daily tea or coffee.

Traditional iron supplements often cause constipation, nausea, cramping, and stomach upset. Those side effects are a common reason people stop taking iron. Heme iron generally has a better absorption rate, which can make a course of supplementation easier to finish.

Who OptiFer Iron Is For, and Where to Find It in Canada

OptiFer Alpha is for people who need extra iron support. That includes women of menstruating age, people with heavy menstrual bleeding, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and athletes. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada endorses OptiFer Alpha.

OptiFer iron is available across Canada in pharmacies, retail stores, and online, and you don’t need a prescription. In some stores you may need to ask the pharmacist for it.

What the OptiFer Alpha Ingredients Add Up To

The OptiFer Alpha ingredients list is short and specific. One medicinal ingredient, 11 mg of elemental iron from bovine heme iron, sits alongside a small set of non-medicinal ingredients that shape and protect the tablet. The reformulated version keeps the same iron and drops several of the old fillers. If you think your iron may be low, it’s worth asking your healthcare provider about OptiFer Alpha.

References

OptiFer Alpha: OptiFer Alpha Ingredients

OptiFer Alpha: OptiFer Alpha Heme Iron Supplement

BeyondRx: OptiFer Alpha Heme Iron 11mg Elemental Iron (30 Tablets)

Amazon.ca: OptiFer Alpha Heme Iron Supplement for Iron Deficiency Anemia